How many more examples do you think American women need before they realize that the current Republican Party would prefer that the Nineteenth Amendment had never been enacted? Let me count the ways…

Mr. Mourdock doesn’t believe a woman who is raped should be given the respect to make her own healthcare decisions in her process of healing, but he does think that there should be an exception if her life is in danger. Unfortunately, Mr. Mourdock hasn’t met Mr. Walsh.

It hard to believe that Akin, Mourdock and Walsh don’t have this title, but to be considered one of the “most staunchly conservative Republicans” you actually have to take stupid to a disgustingly low level like Rep. Steve King did when he told an Iowa reporter he’s never heard of a child getting pregnant from statutory rape or incest. Here’s the quote: “Well I just haven’t heard of that being a circumstance that’s been brought to me in any personal way and I’d be open to discussion about that subject matter.”

Tom Smith, the Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania believes there is never a reason to justify an abortion. When asked how he would argue to keep the baby if a daughter or granddaughter were to become pregnant as a result of rape, Smith said that his daughter went through “something similar” to rape: “Having a baby out of wedlock.”

And then there is Rep. Roger Rivard of Wisconsin who declared that sexual assault is a crime that is often misunderstood. He said that his father had warned him that “some girls rape easy.” He explained that meant they’d verbally consent to sex, then later accuse the man of rape. Not that it matters, but I have no idea if he believes easy rape causes a pregnancy. I bet, however, that he has equally appalling views about a woman’s right to decide what she will do after the easy rape.

It might be interesting for some of you to know that while the economy was burning, 200 Republicans in Congress, including Paul Ryan, spent considerable time on a bill that would have changed the exception language about rape to be redefined as an exception for only “forcible rape”.

I am sitting here stunned at what I have just typed. As a woman I can think of no other circumstance more hateful, more humiliating, more destructive to a woman than the act of rape… forcible rape, legitimate rape, statutory rape, easy rape or just regular old rape. How have these men risen to the level of public support to represent us in our nation’s capital? And Paul Ryan is being considered for Vice President? Good God in heaven please deliver me from this madness.

The other night, I was watching the news and that horrible Bay Buchanan came on. She was dismissive of a poll that suggested the issue of abortion was more important than the economy to women. It was just impossible to Bay – a woman herself as far as I can tell – that women could possibly think that comments like those above could be more important than what those same politicians have to say about creating jobs and improving the economy. I’ve always thought Bay had a little bitch in her, something I admire in myself. But I never figured her for stupid. You don’t have to be a genius to realize that a woman’s ability to control her economic future is absolutely influenced by her ability to control her pregnancies.

Besides being stupid, Bay shares something else in common with those jackasses listed above. They are all members of the Republican Party with a platform that calls for making abortion illegal without exception.

But seriously. If these men – I’ll go ahead and include Bay in that statement just for the sake of arugment – if these men are stupid enough to have an opinion during the election about what should or shouldn’t happen with a woman’s body after a rape, then they are too stupid to hold an elected office. And if these men have to explain their statements the next day by saying “what I really meant to say was that rape is never a good thing“… well honestly… do I really need to tell you not to vote for that moron? And if you are a women voting Republican in this election, bless your heart, you clearly have bigger problems than the economy and you really might want to consider investing in some self respect.

Before I sign off, let me add one more quote to the ever-growing list of Republican Rape Philosophers:

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Amy, you are so right. I thought the era of no choice for women was over and done with 40 yrs ago. But I was wrong. The fight to be recognized as equal to men goes on. And on. And on. This time the male morons are trying to hide behind religion. These people hate life and that makes them anti Christian and every other religion I can think of. They scream and scream about being ” pro life” but then vote to gut every program that helps women, children, families. I am pro choice because I am quite capable of making my own choices about health care. All aspects of health care. I do not need any man to make my decisions for me. In fact, in view of the stunningly stupid choices these minority males have made, we women should make their health choices for them. I think neutering is in order.

yes id agree elective surgery is exactly that – earn the luxury and yep you can have it – also gastric bands should not be given free – why should they when the person got themself into the large shell in the first place?

Hey Gato – LOL
A Pinto that’s stuck at a red light with a truck with no brakes coming up behind it.
Remember – Ford thought the explosions and resulting deaths from the bad gas tanks were just collateral damage – not worth recalling the car – cheaper to pay off the lawsuits. The results from R$’s policies would just be collateral damage (in the eyes of his masters) – plenty of serfs left over to service the rich and provide cannon fodder.

well, here it is. november 6. lotsa talking heads on TV, all saying the same thing, depending on how they view the candidates. but i want to throw something out for all of you to chew on. it’s called cognitive disonance. explains a lot to me. look it up. you’ll get better info that way than my non professional explanation. now i understand. i think. probably.

re Iran ceasing their dangerous activities: i have neither seen nor heard anything in papers, on TV about this. are you all sure it is true? wouldn’t obama be touting what ‘his’ sanctions did? i surely would. just like that? Iran folds and there’s no hullabaloo? where can i get more info?

Hey Gato –
His accomplishments speak for themselves. Many people, however, can’t/won’t see them.
One doesn’t graduate from Harvard Law School magna cum laude and get elected President of the Harvard Law Review without a razor keen mind.
What an accomplishment to get Iran to stop their nuclear program, while campaigning for a second term, and managing FEMA resources for the survivors of Sandy, boots on the ground. The thought of trading such a leader for R$ makes me sad. It’s like trading a Cadillac for a Pinto.

Iris – This is awesome! I just hope it gets out there in time for people to stop thinking about unborn foetuses and women’s lady parts and and capital gains, and remember that avoidance of blowing up the entire planet should be of some serious concern. And, HTG, I hope and pray that the President is the chess master you feel him to be… (I’m with you on that, actually…)

Wendy…i am shocked you got such bad medical treatment in Florida. i live in florida…west coast…and the medicine here is as good (or as bad) as anywhere in the country. i cannot imagine any doc i know not treating someone who is ill/has chronic medical problems…that’s how they make their living. i’m glad you’re getting better care now. it would be good if you could have reported…maybe still can…bad medical care so those things won’t happen to someone else. terrible. i hope you’re doing much better.

I can not tell a lie. I “borrowed” from the comment section of somewhere I was today. I thought it was worth stealing. However I can not read as I meant to put it on the newest post so it has been done twice. Duh!

Hi Wendy, I can appreciate everything you have written. I am disabled from cancer, which has recurred several times. But the worst time I ever had with male docs took place in the 70 s. I asked to have my tubes tied, a legal procedure in ALL STATES. I was told that a panel of all male docs would decide if I could have a LEGAL PROCEDURE! As a young woman they said I was not qualified to make that decision. We can never never let that happen to other young women.

When I first went on disablity I got full free service from Mass. General Hospital. I did not need Medicare. A few years later I moved to Florida. What a horror. Third world country in Medical Industry. I was asked 7 times why I moved to Florida since I had great health care in Mass.
My reply was I should get the same medical treatment what ever state I live in. Many docs would not take me as a patient because I was to sick. One doc said I needed a Doc.
I will never go to a Male doc again. One they have god complexes two they treat you as an object and not a person. I see many docs, from kidney disease, osteoarthris-perosis, two surgies on back because the male doc screwed me up and I will be in pain for the rest of my life and will never walk right again. I was promised that I would dance again, along with other illnesses. I have learned to find the docs that treat me as a person even if I have to go to many.
Mitt and all his cronies are so worried about what a woman should or should not do with their bodies, the income they make. They want us bare foot and pregnant in the kitchen. I have no concept of woman who would vote for these Repubs. If they are voted into office American is more screwd than it already than it is. I am disapointed that Amercian just stand by and let the 1% continue to screw us over.
I will never let a man tell me what I can do or cant do with MY body.
Teaching hospitals have assistance, I do not need an Advanced plan since I moved to Alabama. I can eat at the end of the month now.

rose of charon…there are agencies, government agencies, which pay for long term care for chronic disease. the patients can get disability funds and their medical care is paid for. as for ER expenses; 1-they would be much cheaper with single payer and 2-if you don’t have the money, go to the billing department of the hospital and make a deal. most of them will settle for much less, paid out at a rate you can manage. it’s that or nothing, yanno?

o, cmon…we all know how phony romney’s donation stand was. it would be a joke if it wasn’t so outrageously cruel. as for obama even recognizing limbaugh, that would be pointless; and for the 5 mil? you got me there. i don’t know what i’d do. it’s tempting just to get 5 mil out of the donald…but to give him that respect? i dunno.

my daughter has ms. she requires at least one set of mri’s annually. in order to afford any health insurance she has a $10,000 deductible per person (there are 3 of them in the family). the mri’s run around $8,000. now what? with obamacare she can purchase health insurance like anyone else. but until that’s in affect, she remains in that same untenable position. they both work, she has one son returning to school, another a senior in high school. guess what goes next? not the boys’ ecuatioon! that’s simply not civi8lized.

robert…elective surgery is very different from necessary surgery, wouldn’t you agree? i don’t think the public should pay for cosmetic surgery. i do think we should all chip in for…o, let’s say removal of an appendix. i don’t think we should all pay for someone’s lipsuction but i do think we should all chip in for someone’s cancer surgery. and i do think that health care charges could be considerably lessened by single payer. we have to go single payer sooner or later,you know.

re medical costs/auto repair costs, which strikes me funny to begin with; medical costs would be faaaaaaaaaaar less if we had single payer. when we all chip in (w/taxes) it saves us all money. there needs to be control of just how much profit an insurance company or pharm can make. as elizabeth warren says, make your money, take a huge chunk of it for yourself, just remember you didn’t do it alone.

And yet I see women on my Facebook timeline supporting the Romney/Ryan ticket and falling for every piece of Faux news hysteria that comes on. I think that right there with campaign finance reform and amending the constitution to say that corporations aren’t people to undo Citizens United we need to give the FCC the power to actually keep the news media from distorting the news or out and out lying. (All media) http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/11-the-media-can-legally-lie/

You might receive free emergency treatment at the ER, though I’ve known of people who died because they waited too long go to the ER. They didn’t want to run up a bankruptcy-level bill. And I’ve known other people who were financially shattered after being treated at the ER. And the ER doesn’t pay for chronic or long-term treatment like kidney dialysis, diabetic care, or cancer.

Last I hears the Rmoney campaign was donating the canned goods collected at the photo op to the food banks in Ohio.
The Red Cross specifically asked for either cash or trailer truckloads of supplies so they would not have to divert resources to sorting through donations.
Instead of the Rmoney using their campaign funds to spend $5k at the Ohio Walmart to make their photo op look good, they could have just donated the money to the Red Cross. They could have offered to match any donations to the Red Cross made from their campaign stop in Ohio. But hey, money donations don’t photograph as well, do they?

Yep Terri….Rush took the Harry Reid smear letter and auctioned it off on E-Bay …..$2.1 million donation to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation…which he matched with another $2.1 million of his own……

Don’t you remember Harry talking about the good he did causing that auction????????and Harry’s still flapping his F’en mouth…..

yes Terri…and the left bashes someone who not only took in donations for the victims but had……..”Two large TV screens at the front of the venue bore the logo of the American Red Cross and the message: “Sandy: Support the Relief Effort. Text ’REDCROSS’ to 90999 to make a $10 donation.”

Good One Martin Luther……
bash the guy for collecting donations for the storm victims…….
why doesn’t the MESSIAH take up Trump on his $5 million challenge and donate the proceeds to the victims……(remember Rush actioning off his letter from Harry Reid)

This is what the Tea Party thinks Romney’s job as president will be: pretty scary stuff :this is from an article by Carl Bernstein:

“Certainly those helping to drive the Tea Party agenda in Washington believe that in Romney–and his choice of Paul Ryan (philosophically one of their own) as his running mate–they have an ideal instrument to implement their agenda. “All we have to do is replace Obama. … We are not auditioning for fearless leader,” declared Grover Norquist at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February. Norquist, who has promulgated a no-tax-increase pledge that has been signed by 238 Republicans in the House and 41 in the Senate, went on: “We don’t need a president to tell us in what direction to go. We know what direction to go…. We just need a president to sign this stuff….Pick a Republican with enough working digits to handle a pen…. His job is to be captain of the team, to sign the legislation that has already been prepared.”

The puppet and the puppet masters is no joke folks.

“Plainly put, today’s Republican Party (and its Tea Party wing) represent the first bona fide radical political party to rise to dominance in Washington in nearly 100 years.”

Also, go onto Romney’s website and you can see his plan for what he will do when he replaces Obamacare……HE IS STILL WORKING ON HIS PLAN !!! I am not kidding. 5 days until the election and he is still working on his plan. Bull Crap…..HIS PLAN IS TO SCREW EVERY ONE OF US !!!!!
His business philosophy is to bet AGAINST the American worker.
Let the banks fail—-his money is in the Caymens and Switzerland
Student loan ? Ask your parents
Jobs? Ask your daddy to give you a company
Higher pay for teachers? “we don’t need no stinkin teachers”
Women’s Heathcare? Who cares, women are of no consequence
War? Hell yes, we LOVE war. It makes tons of money for us rich guys
Rape? Rape is god’s will and comes with a gift.

Geez Louise ………..this country can not afford Romney. I am hoping those damn Koch Brothers and Grover Norquist and the rest fo those angry old white men have gone to meet their maker by the next election.

If men could get pregnant, there would be drive-thru abortion clinics on every corner, with big screen TVs showing ESPN and 20 different beers on tap. And they’d offer specials like some tire dealer; Buy 3 get the 4th one FREE.

“The New York Times reported on Thursday that Senate Republicans applied pressure to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) in September, successfully persuading it to withdraw a report finding that lowering marginal tax rates for the wealthiest Americans had no effect on economic growth or job creation.”

“The results of the analysis suggest that changes over the past 65 years in the top marginal tax rate and the top capital gains tax rate do not appear correlated with economic growth. The reduction in the top tax rates appears to be uncorrelated with saving, investment, and productivity growth. The top tax rates appear to have little or no relation to the size of the economic pie.

However, the top tax rate reductions appear to be associated with the increasing concentration of income at the top of the income distribution. As measured by IRS data, the share of income accruing to the top 0.1% of U.S. families increased from 4.2% in 1945 to 12.3% by 2007 before falling to 9.2% due to the 2007-2009 recession. At the same time, the average tax rate paid by the top 0.1% fell from over 50% in 1945 to about 25% in 2009. Tax policy could have a relation to how the economic pie is sliced—lower top tax rates may be associated with greater income disparities.“

Dawn, why do you think for “free”. When I had my surgery, if I didn’t pay upfront, they had loan documents in place I had to sign to pay for what my insurance wasn’t estimated to cover. So my choices on elective surgery was, pay upfront the deductible, sign loan papers to cover the deductible, or no surgery. Not many get through the line of healthcare services for free. The street people probably do, but the rest of, sign on the dotted line or get placed with a collections agency when they don’t pay on the loan papers they signed.

Regarding the kidney stone and the Emergency Department costs… I’m not defending the costs in any way. However, if you (like me) are unable to work on your car, you take it in to the shop and pay to diagnose it, and then spend the money to fix it. $250-$1200 is not unusual. Are you worth more than your car? You do get an estimate of the costs, but if you need your car, what do you do? If you don’t have $$$ or insurance, you still get diagnosed and treated, just for free. (Of course your credit gets ruined…) Just a rhetorical question.

‘The lesson here is simple. At a deep ideological level, Republicans believe that federal bureaucracies are inherently inept, so when Republicans occupy the White House they have no interest in making the federal bureaucracy work. And it doesn’t. Democrats, by contrast, take government services seriously and appoint people whose job is to make sure the federal bureaucracy does work. And it does.’

Re Christie (NJ). I don’t agree w/his politics but I do believe the guy is seriously committed to doing his best for his state. It may be because it’s a reflection on him, or because he cares at all…I don’t care which…he’s doing a good job for NJ right now. This is what changed my view of him. I still don’t agree w/repuglican politics but that’s ok…if the repuglican is anywhere near humane and honest…and I think Christie is. Yes, the weight is worrisome. I’m sure he’s not happy with that, too.

Sus – from what I understand from my Jersey friends Christie is not that well liked. It is in his best interest to do all he can for NJ at this point or no one will want him for President. I wonder if physically he could handle the job of President. I will refrain from the jokes but I do think that is a lot of weight for one heart to bear. Just look at the before and after pictures (of four years for) Obama and past presidents. Of course the job might be a great weight loss program for him.

I know some of you are from Texas so may have seen this already. I tried but my computer and dialup are not cooperating so have not been able to check the numbers.
But am very curious, please let me know what the results are…anyone!

“The state of Texas is more than halfway done with early voting, and turnout so far in 2012 has outpaced the 2008 election. Using data collected by the Texas Secretary of State’s office, which provides early voting totals for the 15 counties with the most registered voters, we have built an interactive way to explore these numbers.”

The Prez started before! I was getting emails updates and advice! I don’t live there, but they don’t know that! Chris Christie talked to Mr Obama 3 times as the storm was coming in, the last time at midnite. That, my friends, is good, proactive crisis management! (No Brownies here!) I LOVE that man, he’s awesome!!

I have personally spoken to a teenager who at age 10 was impregnated by her stepfather when the man raped her. The medical decision was to abort. I have seldom heard of medicine making a better decision.

If any of these politicians have the misfortune to be raped and get pregnant as a result – impossible, of course – but if that should happen, THEN they will have the experience necessary to make this decision. Outside of that, I invite each and every one of them to shut their faces.

i’m confused. who doesn’t believe romney will not overturn the parts of obamacare which will lessen the profits of the insurance companies, the pharmaceuticals, and those who develop marketing for them? so what does he say that you do believe? will he defund planned parenthood? how about the repuglican platform? will he uphold that (with which he agreed at one point) which states that there will be no, none, abortion even in the cases of rape, incest or life of the mother. after all he’s the car guy, right? who saved the car industry for us? after he said they dhould go down the toilet? lemme talle ya, his motives are very simple. everyghithing for big money, nothing for the 97% of us lazy bastards.

HJ admit we have a more costly and less efficient healthcare than any other civilized nation? are you kidding? ask any repuglican. they’ll tell you that’s nonsense. they’ll cite royalty coming here for particular treatments. they don’t mention that that royalty is from arab nations or under developed nations or that some countries simply would not allow them in. they’ll tell you how those with 9gasp) socialized medicine must actually wait! for treatment and how there are ddeath panels. the omit the waiting and deciding whaot procedures are covereed by insurance companies. fie upon you (wo)man! we are number one! those plastic bigoindex fingers wa ved at sports events prove it. don’t ithey?

cynthia! very funny. yeh, we all thought of good old brownie, specially when the pres sent two huge ships full of supplies and help directly to n.y. right…imagine, sending all the help one can find immediately. what a fantastic idea! siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

Colorado Blue, Mitt Romney is one of those personalities that is addicted to running for something. No matter if he gets beat this time, he will be back in some capacity as a candidate. The only thing that can really stop him is a truly huge.huge.huge scandal.

Why didn’t Romney call his church and have them give away some of the thousands of pounds of food and other items they have in theri massive Bishop’s Storehouses. It would be a real coup for the “Church” and would make Romney look like the “god” he hopes to become.
OH!! I forgot, the “Church” makes those who receive aid from the “Church” pay for it. Either with sweat labor or in some other way. The 47% don’t get a break there either. No wonder Romney and his ilk think Social Security and Medicare need to go, it would mean more income for the “Church.”http://www.conservativechristianwatchdog.org

Hey Blue,
That’s an amazing quote by Lincoln. I had never read that before. I agree with your entire post; especially the part about the media not doing their job. Lately when I watch the news I want to hurl something at the tv when I hear lies and distortions pass without comment or fact checking. It truly is a discouraging state of affairs.

“Not that there was ever any question about it, but those two images tell you everything you need to know in order to figure out that Romney’s event today wasn’t about helping hurricane victims: it was about making him look good. There was no practical reason to make people wait 40 minutes to donate their goods other than to create a photo-op of Mitt Romney collecting relief supplies.”

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country… Corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.” – Abraham Lincoln – Nov 21, 1864

The only defense we have to remove Tea Party corporate corruption and big money that we see in this election is to VOTE against it . Interesting that the Repubs wrap themselves in Lincoln when he is obviously speaking ABOUT them. They ARE the corrupt corporations who want the few to rule…….Koch brothers wet dream. How repubs are still so ignorant of the fact that the Tea Party Repubs who are driving Romney’s bus hate you, too.

This election has been a big game for the Tea Party. Money and power have enabled them to lie and cheat and get away with it. Romney lies through his freakin’ teeth and when he is caught he acts like the playground bully he is and says, “I didn’t say that”, even though there is audio to prove it and print to prove it. And the damn Media sits on their tongues. Digusting.

“hell of a job”, Brownie is yet another fool coming out of the woodwork like Trump, Sununu and others to do the diry work. Like they don’t have enough liars and hate mongers with that freak Limbaugh and Faux news.

And how disgusting to bald face lie to people in Ohio and Michigan about their auto plant jobs. At least Chrysler/Jeep called him on the lie because the useless Media didn’t. Romney will stop at nothing and until we stop him by voting it will not end. Romney is the scum of the earth. The Media sucks and has been silenced by their billionaire CEOs.
Two more days for early voting. Do it now, make sure your friends and neighbors who plan to vote Democrat do it. Innundate NBC, ABC, CBS and even CNN with complaints about their corporate one-sided support of Romney. And oh BTW, there are story after story of companies telling their employees that if they don’t vote for the jackhole Romney and if he doesn’t win that they will be fired.

I think we can officially declare Mitt Romney an unmitigated liar. His recent “comments” at a campaign rally declaring Jeep was moving all its jobs to China is an outright lie. And he has doubled down with misleading ads. I don’t recall a more blatantly misleading candidate. Chrysler had to make a public statement denying what Romney has been saying and correcting the record. How can people vote for someone so mendacious? It’s astounding to me. Apparently he thinks people are so stupid and gullible they will believe him. It reeks of desperation. I think he will find on November 6th that it didn’t pay off and then he can go back to being an unemployed rich a**shole.

Looks as if Mother Nature is delivering an October Surprise. It also appears that President Obama and his administration are on top of it with preparedness and rapid response, considering the magnitude of possible loss of life and destruction. At least he is not out clearing brush on his ranch.

The current crop of right wing politicians are busy, sitting in safety and comfort at the mahogany board room tables, counting the money much as King Midas did. Only Midas didn’t have calculators and spread sheets. BTW, hasn’t the primary function of government, no matter how inept, been to care for its citizens – ALL of them? And not necessarily just for the profits of shareholders. However, if they are to have their way, I have no doubt that they would like to take us back to the Good Old Days of “Weregild”. Look it up! That’s when a price value was put on human life according to rank.

For the record, I am a long time Progressive Democrat. Also for the record, I do not believe that all Mormons are like Mitt Romney, nor are all Catholics like Paul Ryan, nor are all Methodists like G.W. Bush, nor are all Muslims like Osama bin Laden,: anymore than all Germans were like Hitler, all Italians were like Mussolini, all Japanese were like Tojo or all Chinese were like Qin Shi Huang. The same could be said for many, many politicians running for local, state, or national offices in our country. Further on a personal note, not all MEN are misogynists. To name a few, my husband of 59 years, our three sons and two grandsons. Just as many men do, they believe that lives and limbs are a price not worth paying for the glorification of masculine “virtues”.

So it is incumbent on each citizen, male and female alike, to take the time to research the background and qualifications, from a variety of sources, of all candidates who will be representing his/her ideological views and values. Religious affiliation is only one facet of any person’s character and personality.

That said, here are some scary thoughts taken from the book “The Wisdom of Psychopaths” by Kevin Dutton, a research psychologist at the Calleva Research Center for Evolution and Human Sciences at Magdalen College, University of Oxford.

“Traits that are common among psychopathic serial killers – a grandiose sense of self-worth, persuasiveness, superficial charm, ruthlessness, lack of remorse and the manipulation of others – are also shared by politicians and world leaders. In other words, individuals running not from the police, but for office. Such a profile allows those who present with these traits to do what they like, when they like, completely unfazed by the social, moral or legal consequences of their actions.” Add it all together with an utter lack of empathy for their fellow beings.

I don’t believe Romney will appeal anything with Obamacare. How dumb would that be? It’s been over 30 years since we’ve had progress on the health care front. Why start over on something that was based on his plan?

He’s saying all over the campaign trail that he’ll repeal it but he has no problem flip-flopping so I’m not worried about Obamacare in regards to this election.

Hope your son is feeling better HJ and I so agree with you and Sus. I am so grateful for the Affordable Care Act. For the people who are saying that the President was too hasty in pursuing its passage, well, it was then or never. The other side would never ever have let go of the status quo and something needed to be done. Unfortunately, some of the people wanting it repealed are just one illness away from catastrophe like the rest of us, unable to see how they are being used and misused by the politicians.

Heard about the Brown tidbit today and laughed. I cannot imagine he would even want people to be reminded of his existence at the time Sandy is wreaking havoc with the Eastern US. What a douchebag. Did he think we forgot about Katrina?

I am sure Mitt does not want people to remember his proposition to privatize FEMA. Are you all not tired of politicians? Yes, fellow porch dwellers, let us privatize everything! We do have toll roads already. Why not privatize all roads? Let us privatize everything! The police, the army, firefighters, every single school, all hospitals, and let us not forget Congress! Most in there are already bought anyway!

Terri in NY, I hope Sandy did not affect you too much. I have several family members living in New York City. Can’t reach them at all. I am just praying they are safe.

Can we please acknowledge that we do NOT have the finest healthcare service on earth, even for the insured? It’s prohibitively expensive. The costs for an emergency room visit for my adult son, age 25, but still covered under my husband’s employer’s insurance (thank you, Obamacare) which lasted less than an hour totaled $3706.78. (Ambulance 567.56 (10 minute drive), radiologist 247.31, Emergency room dr. 198.06, Emergency room charges 2693.85.) Our system sucks. I’m baffled as to how anyone can defend it.
P.S. Our son is fine now. He had a kidney stone, which passed the next day, but at the time he thought he was dying. There has got to be a better way.

Jeez SUS… why don’t you blame the outbreak on Bush also…..
ever hear od Gov. Deval Patrick…….the current gov ….and a Democrat……
and did Kerry move his boat to Mass. and pay the extra taxes on it??????(something Mass could use)

In Romneyworld, a privatized agency would only have to respond to people who bought into that service, like it works for people who pay extra for fire protection in rural areas. If you pay your dues, and your house has a fire, they’ll respond. If you didn’t sign up and pay your dues, your left on your own.

In this new privatized world, only the people who can afford to pay for such benefits will receive them and then, if you have a problem with the quality of service, you can file a complaint with the other privatized agency you signed up hopefully and pay dues to, who looks into your consumer complaints. This privatized direction has endless business opportunities.

But in the end, the real benefit to the monied class is it’s another way of culling the population of deadbeats, by selectively providing life saving/protective services. Same goes for the voucher system on Medicare, if your voucher isn’t enough to pay for a full year, too bad. Don’t get sick in the remaining months until the new voucher kicks in.

This way only the monied class survives. Every one knows people with money have the better genes.

The republicans hate government so much they broke it deliberately, so they could point their fingers and say, see I told you it doesn’t work. Look at our congress for the ultimate example.. In the world of medicine, isn’t that how cancer works on its host? It literally destroys the body that it resides in. The republican party no different than a terminal cancer.

” “state records reveal that a Massachusetts regulatory agency found that the New England Compounding Co., the pharmaceutical company tied to the epidemic, repeatedly failed to meet accepted standards in 2004 — but a reprimand was withdrawn by the Romney administration in apparent deference to the company’s business interests.””

Mageen, it’s worse than that. As governor, Romney vetoed key infrastructure upgrades that would have helped prevent some of the devastation from that last big flood they had in MA. No return on investment I guess.

Margaret, how did you do with the storm? Haven’t heard a lot about Maine yet.

Block grants to states for some sort of FEMA program?? They’re kidding, right?? Remember how well Louisiana did during Katrina? Ditto MIssissippi and later on when Texas was hit by another hurricane. Romney has to be on some sort of pill that puts him in LaLaLand to make such suggestions. So out of touch with reality!

“Wow, what a GREAT idea! We can run FEMA like a corporation at every state level. It will be like picking out health insurance from private insurers. Each state (according to what they can afford) can pick from a myriad of various plans to cover certain anomalies and disasters. If you are in a state with a thin budget, might I suggest the “Basic Disaster Plan” that covers a tornado, but if you want to cover floods then you will have to upgrade to the “Premium Disaster Plan” that also comes with a free mouse pad!” navyvet1980

I borrowed the comment because he didn’t once say… Romney, that is a f**king stupid idea you assh*le……oops like I just did.

Hey sid, don’t leave me out, I’m stuck here in the Lone Star w Gov Goodhair Perry! He is on my personal “needed to be killed” list w Dick Cheney and Phil Gramm and a few others. You may remember his failed run for the GOP candidacy? Mr “Oops?” You are not alone in your suffering by any means!!

Penny…..you are a fellow Floridian. I’m on the east cost, between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. My mother is on the west coast in Englewood, which used to be an old fishing village. How do you like the ass-hat of a governor that we have.

Does anyone else have a problem w/their comments? I can only see so far, then my name etc (see below this box) are there and I can’t see what I’m typing. Hence the previous comment went unfinished.
To finish: they don’t want to see Obama in the white house either because they are racist (knowingly or not) or are swallowing the nonsense scare stories being bandied about. I find that if you can discuss, personally, the issues, they find much more area of agreement that they were told is there. Do I make sense? I know what I mean. lol

Interestingly, I spend Friday afternoons with an affluent group of women. Women who have had every advantage and continued to do so through early marriage, raising children, etc. They are, mostly, repuglicans. When asked, however, if they would mind paying another couple of thou a year in taxes if it meant that children who grow up never seeing a dentist would then get dental care they all answer that they would be happy to contribute to the kidds’ dental care. When I explained what ‘diference’ the Obama tax would make to them,they were surprised and absolutely agreeable to that…just not to Obama@

Good post Blue! I agree with it all. How ironic that of all people Newt Gingrich feels qualified to lecture the rest of us on morality! The hypocrisy is stunning.

I hope Romney past comments about FEMA come back to bite him in the ass. This man will say anything to anybody to be elected–I cannot understand why anyone would consider voting for such a vapid man who has no core principles.

Reminds me of someone I knew who would say, I can’t phantom and another person I knew who called igloo’s, igmoo’s. She was full of malapropism’s naturally and used them very innocently, never realizing her mispronunciations. That’s what made them so humorous. No one ever corrected her or made fun of her either, she was just being herself. It was how we knew her.

Actually Robert, I think Reagan was carrying the banner for Barry Goldwater, who didn’t appeal to the masses. Reagan balm to the sore hearts of many older persons who were bewildered by the combined effects of the Civil Rights amendment, the sexual revolution, the Viet Nam war protests, Watergate, OPEC, runaway inflation, and the Iran hostage situation. They felt that “their America” had made a Uturn and was headed down the tubes! They LOVED Reagan and his dewey-eyed noble national anthem look (the guy made bad movies while other men died)-here was someone who understood them and their Ozzie and Harriet mentality. Nobody has a grasp of the complicated economic issues we face anymore, so they can’t tell who’s lying; since the advent of television we vote for someone who looks good to us! And old people VOTE! How many of you have kids you’re reminding to vote? I’ve been telling mine since they were 10 years old that people in other places are DYING for what we take for granted. We had less than 7% turnout in a municipal election in our area, NOT where I vote though! 7%! This is a college town with a relatively well-educated populace too! So 1) people vote for the guy who looks like them, 2) they vote their “faith” because it boils complicated issues down to least common denominator platitudes (Abortion is murder. Gays are an abomination in the sight of the Lord, God is in charge, it’s God’s will.), and 3) they are far too busy doing what-effing-ever to bother to vote at all! It is most discouraging, but all we can do out side of voting ourselves is call and remind and cajole and hope!

Anonymous to Robert and Sydney is me, Mageen in Old Virginny. We lost power last night in the storm and apparently it did a number on my computer. We are all pretty much sleep deprived here from the screaming winds last night.

Robert and Sydney, especially. As you can tell from my moniker, I live in jogging distance of the nation’s Capitol and I am surrounded by a real mixture of Dems and Repubs. Why didn’t the Dems fight like rabid animals to keep the House and bulk up the Senate in the 2010 elections? Actually, they did due dilligence but the Dems stop short of wreaking carnage. What they don’t want to do is to create martyrs among the Repubs. Heck, look at the way people are referring to Ronald Reagan now . . . Saint Reagan. It won’t take much to do the same to the likes of Akin et al. Nothing like waving the banner of a martyr! How should they be handled? Exposure. Nothing like it. Akin et al. have been forced to spend their time, money and energy on fighting the truth and an angry, aroused citizenry. They are left with what could actually be called marginalized support; i.e., the much smaller group of people who have rallied to them. Even the Repubs have pulled their financial support from Akin, albeit for the wrong reason. And what we are seeing as exposure among the Repubs right now will be nothing like the ghastly stuff sill to come in the way of books, indictments, trials and imprisonment.

And, yes, I am just down the pike from the Pentagon. The last thing I want – and the military wants – is to see this country turned into a fifth world country with only a standing armed force.

The Repubs who claim they want to return to a simpler time such as the 50’s (the Ozzie and Harriet era) will never happen because that was when there was far, far less disparity between what the topmost level (1%) earned and the highest level of the middle class. For the current crop of one percenters that is just too close to the irresponsible forty-seven percenters for comfort. So the one-percenters will do anything, even become more irresponsible themselves – and they are irresponsible, to keep up their control.

Sydney, I don’t think the Dems in DC really care. If they did and they really wanted to turn this ship around, they would have fought harder in the 2010 elections to keep the house and increase the senate seats. They had the structures in place to keep the momentum of the 2008 elections in play but they didn’t keep it pumped up. One has to wonder why? Certainly I want Obama to win this fall, but I just wish I felt better about the reasons I want him to. I think we the people haven’t been forceful enough to get him and the DC Dems to fight harder for us. Like FDR said, make me.

Robert…..the problem is that the republicans see this government takeover as if they are fighting a war. They are ruthless, play by no rules and there is nothing they won’t do to win. The democrats deal with the GOP as if they are having an intelligent, rational discussion about the issues. Until the dems realize that they must this fire with gasoline, the repubs will continue to roll along, collecting and adding the ignorant to their club.

Colorado, you’ve very succinctly defined the agenda of the republicans. It’s my understanding when they’re through with this privatization process, the only thing the federal govt will provide is for the military.

I was talking with an employee of the Weights and Standards Division in the state of I live in. He told me the privatization direction has already begun. His office was going to be going through that process. Can you imagine how corrupt those privatized companies are going to become when they can be bought off by the very companies they are supposed to be overseeing, just like the SEC has become.

There was nothing wrong with government that couldn’t be fixed with effective oversight, but the republicans will have their way and their hero will remain Reagan, who started this anti-govt ideology. As I’ve stated in the past, the democrats ceded power to them back during the Clinton era. The republicans want a crash and burn implementation of their vision, where as the democrats are trying to slow it down, both are on the same page though.

The people on the left waited too long to say no way. The democrats and people in the middle should have been more outraged during Bush’s reign.

Colorado Blue, all the states you mentioned are the reddest of the red states. We have been saying that they tend to vote against their own best interests haven’t we? Somehow, they don’t seem to listen to their own politicians, the conservative ones they are sending to DC; they don’t seem to understand how each stance taken by these politicians is going to affect them. All they want to achieve is getting the black man out of the White House, to their own detriment. For example, one of my colleagues was lamenting the fact that the capital gain tax might go up if President Obama is reelected. I thought to myself well, there he goes, supporting ill-conceived policies that benefit the rich. How much is this salaried person going to make, investments-wise, to really make a difference in how much capital gain taxes he pays? That is why Romney can legally pay 14 or 13 percent while most people’s taxes are higher and it is legal. It makes a difference when capital gains are your only source of income and the income is counted in the millions. That is why the Wall Street types are getting away with a lot and in spite of the fact that President Obama has given them all the support he could muster, they want him out of there. It all boils down to their pocket book. They don’t want capital gain taxes to go up, that is all there is to it. It is all about them. The conservatives can scream deficit all they want, the neediest are going to be left to fend for themselves while the top 1 percent continues to fatten their bank accounts.

The Tea Party is out in force defending that D-bag Mourdock. Obviously women are of no consequence to them. Real Christians do not support RAPE for any reason. RAPE IS RAPE. Only the Tea Bag faux Christians would be ignorant to defend his statement.

Rape is God’s will: Romney has defended this Tea Party candidate Mourdock and his heinous statement. Now we have Gingrich

Just days after several key Republicans sought to distance themselves from Indiana senate candidate Richard Mourdock in the wake of his misogynistic comments on rape, top-level Romney surrogate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich tried a different approach, taking the time to defend Mourdock’s comment that a forced pregnancy resulting from a rape was a “gift from god” as a mainstream Christian value

In just the last year, Republicans at every level of government have sought to manipulate the definition of rape, introducing such terminology as “legitimate rape,” “forcible rape,” “honest rape,” and more.

Tea Party Romney and house baggers on disaster relief:

This is the REAL Romney: he wants Power without responsibility on every level. he want to throw everything to the States and the private sector so his billionaire pals can make as much money as they can. Romney’s is the Tea Party’s puppet.

Asked about federal disaster relief for recent tornado and flood victims at the GOP debate, candidate Mitt Romney called the spending “immoral” and said the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be privatized.

Embracing a radical anti-government ideology from the most extreme elements of the Tea Party, Romney said that the victims in Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and other communities hit by tornadoes and flooding should not receive governmental assistance. He argued it is “simply immoral”.

Mitt Romney has suggested shutting down FEMA and turning disaster relief over to private companies. Meanwhile, House Republicans have repeatedly attempted to slash funds for disaster preparedness and response in 2011:

This is who is making our laws with a Tea Party Republican controlled congress:

According to the House Appropriation Committee’s summary of the bill, the [GOP’s 2011 continuing resolution] funds Operations, Research and Facilities for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association with $454.3 million less than it got in FY2010; this represents a $450.3 million cut from what the president’s never-passed FY2011 budget was requesting. The National Weather Service, of course, is part of NOAA — its funding drops by $126 million. The CR also reduces funding for FEMA management by $24.3 million off of the FY2010 budget, and reduces that appropriation by $783.3 million for FEMA state and local programs.

With each major natural disaster in 2011, House Republicans dug in their heels over providing disaster relief. They repeatedly demanded the funds be offset by other spending cuts in the budget — even as a deadly tornado tore through Missouri, an earthquake shook Virginia, and when Hurricane Irene struck the east coast last year.

The politicization of disaster relief is likely to continue; the House Republican budget ignored a bipartisan agreement to make it easier to fund disaster relief, instead insisting again that spending cuts offset the emergency aid.

Kristy
Try writing in English and you might get an audience. Trying to tease out any relevant ideas from your run-on sentences makes one’s head hurt. Also, with your misspellings and hanging phrases adding to the mess, you make no sense at all.

Maybe when men find themselves having to welcome into their family their wife’s rape baby, they will change their tune. Selfishness has become part of our republican party’s major themes, and until a person finds themselves in someone’s else’s shoes, the clarity of the bullshit that they have been fed will not be comprehensible.

In response to Debbie Coulsey, and others. As a man (and living in Ireland where abortion is still illegal and unlikely to be legalised any time soon) all I can say is that education is the answer. And, as schools won’t or can’t or don’t want to, this means that women, individually and en masse, need to educate the male population of each country – man by man, if necessary.

Dyed-in-the-wool male can, and do, change over time if the pressure to change is maintained. But it is a slow task and a heart-breakking one. Just when you think you’re getting through to one of us some reverend gentleman of their church will pontificate and you have to start all over again.

The “right to life of the unborn” was enshrined into our constitution in 1983 and since then we have had four referenda to change that. They have all failed. The big problem is that abortion is legal in England and Irishwomen wishing an abortion can, and do, travel to England. It is known by what one politician referred to as “an Irish solution to an Irish problem”. People are too afraid if the combined Churches and the lethargic Irish political body, which is largely right-wing and male.

So, get at your menfolk, whenever the opportunity arises and get them to justify their stance. You’ll find that they resort to religious rhetoric and claims about killing, which they don’t apply to any other topic, such as gun control, capital punishment or civilian casualties in time of war. Hammer the point home again and again. We are mere men and slow to grasp what women want, need and demand. Good luck.

Penny and all, I hope what we are seeing happen in this country and under the ruse of divine Christian inspiration and supremacy, shows how easy it is to make otherwise good people follow very bad policies and ideologies. The power of fear and prejudice and a bad economy, was used in another time in recent history over in Europe. We know where that went and how it ended.

There’s a combination of very serious factors all falling into place at the same time. When the world converted from being an agricultural based society to the industrial age, they most likely saw the upheevil in their society like we are witnessing, as we move from the industrial age to the computer information/robot age. Mechanization is replacing our labor.

The other big factors are climate change and peak oil. All these factors are happening at the same time and they are very serious issues. All three will severely impact the quality of life as we know it. Even the military has plans for the dire consequences and destablizing events that climate change will bring about as well as the resource wars for the remaining easily accessible oil, which is why we are in Iraq and the middle east.

As far as peak oil (which for public consumption is being denied along with climate change because big business doesn’t want to spook the consumer), we people, as a world consumer of oil based products, have harvested most of the easiest to access oil fields where the cleanest oil, light sweet crude, resided. What’s left and in reasonably large amounts is the dirtier more difficult sour crude, but its more costly to process and in much more difficult places to reach, like the bottom of the ocean and other inhospitable places. Plus the refineries have to be replumb’d to process the dirtier oil types.

The oil pipeline that the republicans want to build through the center of the country is to bring oil sands based oil down to the Gulf for transport to the world markets. The oil industry will sell the idea that its for consumption here in America though. If that were the case, they wouldn’t have to bring it all the way to Texas to process where they have a near by port. They could do it in other parts of the country, like Wyoming where there are refineries in place now. The original plan for the pipeline was to go west through Canada to their west coast, but the Canadian people said no in a very loud way, so now we have the oil companies, through their shills in congress, claiming it will bring about energy independence to get the American people to accept it. To be continued.

As a woman with 2 daughters and 3 granddaughters and many GIRLfriends, I am disgusted that in the year 2012 we STILL are having this kind of repulsive, backward thinking. I feel like we have not gotten any further then my ex father-in-laws idea in 1972 of women using an aspirin between there knees to keep from getting pregnant. I don’t even know who to blame for this. Didn’t a woman raise these men? Didn’t they have any respect for there own mothers & sisters? WE have to change this type of thinking! Right now I am just frustrated and so sad that this conversation is even happening….Deb

kristy..i see you are angry and feel misunderstood…and that can happen. what i do not see is how you figure that our president is disrespectful of the military, the flag or the nation. he’s bringing the military home as soon as he can…so they won’t continue to get their brains blown out for what? for people who are killing themselves anyway? or killing us? he salutes every time (that i see) the officer he meets when he deplanes; he stands when the anthem is played; he works his tail off for his countryl. what is it he does not do that you think he should?

Of course what Robert and Cynthia are saying makes sense. It’s happening now! In order to develop the slave class who will do any job offered (in order to eat) we must deny education, health care, individual housing, opportunities for self starters, payable loans, and finally the freedom to choose their own churches, to speak their minds without worry, and to protest in the streets. Those who think they are safe will just take a little longer to join the slave class. And guess what? The Lords will all be white, rich, smiling and gracious. As long as the slaves stay in their place.

I’ve come to the conclusion that there is one underlying fact which we all try to ignore or minimize. Racism. No matter what is shown re socialized medicine one gets responses like..”I’m not paying for some other woman’s contraception.” No matter what is proven about anything, there are those who will stick to the Limbaugh line or worse. No matter how you show who will really be affected by increased taxes, the response is…”Oh, no, he’ll never do that”; or “If you really need an abortion you’ll be able to get one.”

There is an equally scary probability to a Romney war. A Romney supreme court. That gives me nightmares. After they overturn RoevWade, they’ll go for the women’s vote. You think that’s not a distinct possibility? Hmf.

Thank you Lori, that was a nice shot in the arm. Everybody carrying on in a reasonable fashion too! Made a nice change! BTW making phone calls to Ohio from TX this week, can’t travel after all 😦 phones are wonderful though …

Welcome back to the argument. Need some backup though K, and not Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh or Gordon Liddy please. I have not seen President Obama “sitting on his butt” or in any way showing disrespect for our troops anywhere. And you never bothered to answer my question about where Congress and its funding function fits into all this. You can’t just say “this is what I think and you people are blind and stupid because you don’t agree with me!” And why do women need some form of mandatory counseling after a medical procedure? Presumably their doctors would counsel them BEFORE the procedure and prescribe what is necessary to combat any lingering effects, physical or otherwise? And why would you bring up the word “murder” in conjunction with this procedure? at any time? Seems a little odd.

Old is not an age but a thinking. I’m glad to be thought of as the Kristys of the world. Take my thoughts as you blindly will. I don’t support Rommnys politics. I support the respect Of the nation I believe that our president should respect the flag should salute our soldiers and should stand at the national anthem I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with that in a fire right wing because I believe the American flag should be treated with respect our soldiers should be treated with respect and that you should always stand when it comes to the national anthem that you should not sit on your butt when other people at five and died no that does not make the right wing but if you want to believe that go You can say that there christies the world and blame me and my opinions on everything I have read this blog for quite some time and I have agreed and thought the post enlightening and tell it comes to abortion rate I finally bit my opinion out there and only to be shot down and accused of being a multitude of thing so enjoy yourself enjoy dragging my name through the mud no I am not a Romney fan Norwill it But the same time I will not support the president who does not support his troops or respect our United States of America

Quote: “Richard Mourdock … said “… that is something that God intended to happen.”.”

Isn’t it amazing how when God’s will is mentioned it is always by someone who claims to know what it is, or isn’t.

They are never open to argument, of course, because someone who knows what God’s will is could never be wrong, could they?

My response to Richard Mourdock, and others like him is to ask “Did you ever, up to the time you left home, find that you had been utterly wrong about the wishes of one of your parents? If they say “no” then I cease conversation with them, as they are obviously lying. When they say “Yes, why?” I pint out that this was someone that they shared a home with for years, and had two-way conversations with on a regular basis. How then can they presume to know the will of a God whom they have never met and never had a two way conversation with?

interesting Robert-I have been thinking for some time that the US is starting to remind me of a trip I made to the Bahamas in the early 90s – all tourists and gated communities..so what you are saying does make sense……(YUCK!)

Cynthia, I have this sneaking feeling R/R and the R’s in DC will suck up to China more than antagonize them. This country is destined to be a destination spot for the worlds rich and famous and new middle class from the nations we are sending our factories to. America is being remade into a paradise for the worlds consumers of leisure, fine dining, and all the other activities that people with loads of expendable cash find entertaining. Have you noticed how many casino type business’s are being built or brought into existing facilities?

The future of the middle class in the USA is to be servants so to speak, clerks, waiters/waitresses, bartenders, maids, customer service agents, nurses (actually not bad pay), orderly’s, cooks, dishwashers, truck/bus/taxi drivers, grocery checkers, shelf stockers, and security guards, you get the picture… all jobs that will be there to make the worlds rich and the new middle class from foreign nations, feel pampered, catered to and safe. This is why we hear so much about small business creation, because that will be where people will find the independence that working in good paying factories jobs once offered to our dwindling middle class. Got any good ideas for a business that don’t take to much money to start?

I saw a pie chart recently that showed the USA is the number one place the worlds rich and famous and new middle class choose to live in and visit. I think the USA of the pie chart for that measurement was 39%. All other countries were tiny in comparison, so it’s already happening.

If people want to know who really runs our country and Europe and other national interest, its a combination of several behind the scenes players. 1 – The Round Table, 2 – The Bilderberg Group and 3 – Goldman Sachs..Representatives of Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Everything, can be found within those 3 power structures.

Just caught up with all the comments -this particular thread seems to be going on and on- Skylar- we moved from Tn to England in Feb-so far our health care has been good-( actually has been free) My husband is British and we moved here to be with family. Our car gets 50+ miles to the gallon-though we do pay twice as much for it. Your friends in Mo would never believe.good free health care and even American (ford) cars get 50-70 miles per gallon here. The weather is terrible but it is worth it to be away from all the election nonsense in the US. I go online to follow it when I feel like dealing with it. It is hard to believe that there are women in the US and even some of my friends- that do not seem to get what is at risk -for themselves and their daughters. We can only hope that the polls etc- and the pundits are keeping this election close for their own interests and that they will wake up and realize what a tragedy Romney and Ryan would be.

Thanks Sidney and Mageen, it was fun to wake up here after the last presidential election. I went to the store the next day, and a stranger came up to me and said, Congratulations. I said excuse me? He said Obama won the election!! (Come to find out, he had noticed me getting out of a car with Missouri plates). I thanked him and said I was very happy. He was grinning from ear to ear. Inside the store a few weeks later, I heard customers and clerks commenting on how beautiful Michelle Obama looked at inauguration and their approval of our new President made me proud. However, in my “red state,” I’ve had two friends totally turn against me. I have several conservative friends I can joke with about canceling out each other’s votes and so forth, and we go on with our lives/friendships. But some people just can’t get past it and seem to blame ME for what they view as Obama’s shortcomings. One “friend” even spewed a bunch of “malarkey” on Facebook that I had to go back to Missouri to see a doctor since Canada’s healthcare is so bad! Truth is, I needed a checkup, was in Missouri, am not on Canada’s healthcare yet, so I had a checkup in Missouri. My application is in process and hopefully I will be covered before long. Anyway, I have told her time and time again that the Canadians in this province are thrilled with their healthcare, yet she refuses to believe it although I have been here for over 3 years, have seen how well their healthcare works and think I know a tad bit more about it. However, no matter what outlandish thing Rush Limbaugh says, they think it must be true. Another friend sent me an email and we got into an email discussion. I asked her how she felt about the R/R ticket being so against women due to Romney’s refusal to discuss his opinions of the Lilly Ledbetter act, and what she thought about them not wanting ins companies to pay for contraception. She said she was not aware of his stance on the LL act. As far as contraception was concerned, well, she didn’t think promiscious women should have their contraception paid for. This blew me away since I’m unsure what promiscuity has to do with young married women wanting to plan their families themselves. These were once very smart women, but I guess the Fox Koolaid does kill brain cells at a super rapid rate!

I woke up this morning, got my chores done, cooked lunch, ate, then turned on my computer and went to Helen and Margaret’s blog to read the latest postings. Nobody forced me to do this. I even chose the option not to have the new postings come in my email inbox. I come looking here every time, on my own accord. For somebody to say that people are harassing her and hounding her from this site is so laughable. This site is frequented by adults. You have to come looking for whatever you are seeking, no forcing.

Donna, thanks for the reassurance about the voting machines and Colorado Blue, thanks for bringing forth the issues at hand once more. It is so nerve-racking to think about it all. The worst for me if Romney should win, will be to once again be on pins and needles about when and where the next war will start and how many of our children will be sent in harm’s way. The deficit will again be put on the backburner while we fund the war machine with the warmongers benefiting at our expense. Did any republican bring up the deficit during the Bush years? Not a peep out of them. I so hate the hypocrisy.

Little late to the party – but I wonder if the Kristys of the right wing will find fault when…Romney as president goes to China to give them “what for” and starts WWIII by handing the President of China four shirts…instructing him to lightly starch the body and heavy on the collar and cuffs. Need them back by 3 pm sharp! Now chop, chop.

Romnesia is sweeping the country. incase these two lying scumbags Romney/Ryan need a little cheat sheet to help them remember what they said, I am happy to help.
1. student loans……………….ask your parents
2. creating jobs………………..ask your daddy for a company and then
send those jobs to China
3.Foreign policy……………….kick the can down the road to the next guy
Iran has a coastline???
4.Auto bailout………………….Let them fail
5.Bank Bailout…………………Let them fail. All we care about are the banks
in the Caymens and in Switzerland
6.Better pay for teachers… “We don’t need no stinkin’ teachers” We’ll
get rid of the Dept of Education. We can just
import smart kids from my sweatshops in
China.
7. issues facing the middle class…….Who cares? They are just bottom
feeders.
8. Childrens’ issues…………..We only care about the fetus. At birth, you
are on your own.
9. Military Veterans…………. Who cares? Our job is to send you to war.
When you return you are on your own.
10. Women’s HealthCare……We will let the insurance companies refuse
to pay for your cancer screenings. Women
are of no consequence to us.
11. A woman’s right to choose……HELL NO !!! We support the wack-a-
doodle in Indiana who says rape is God’s
will and rape babies are a gift from God.
12. The Economy……………….You really don’t think we care about the
economy do you?
13. Tax Cuts………………………We have to give huge tax cuts to the
Billionaires who paid for our campaign
and the rest of you idiots will pay through
the nose so the rich don’t have to.
14.The Environment and Climate Change…….We don’t believe in
science. Like we already said, “we don’t
need no stinkin’ teachers” teaching our
kids creepy things like global waming,
evolution and sex education
15.Balancing the Budget……….Oh please, when was the last time a
Republican President balanced the
budget? We just like to talk about it to
get our low information voters all riled
up
16. War ……………………………..HELL YES !!!! We love war!! Our friends
in the Military Industrial Complex, including
Paul Ryan’s family, just LOVE making
money and we are happy to oblige. We
have never met a war we didn’t like !!!!

I will remind you all…that we typical old persons are part of the generation which provided TV, computers, penicillin, the Salk vaccine…I could go on for pages. Suffice it to quote the native American…perhaps not verbatim…
When we listen to the grandmothers, there will be peace.

I was one of those serving SAFE the organization which, for 3 years, fought to get the new voting machines. You mark your ballot yourself, slide it into a secrecy envelope, then into a machine which scans it and then dumps it into a locked box. that does two things. It makes available the original ballot for random checks, it minimizes the amount of electronic foolery which can be committed (due to the machine itself). Once we got the required signatures to get the subject on the ballot, we had to then fight the Florida supreme court (two years) to grt them to comply.

Skyler! I am from a Canadian family and spent a good chunk of my colorful youth in our home town in Ontario. Have oodles of cousins from coast to coast, some of whom have even held positions of distinction with the government. I have seen both countries, as the song goes, “from both sides now.” Canadians love Americans and America as they have so many relatives spread all over the lower 48 who visit back and forth. I personally have no use for those Yanks who will get in someone’s face and tell them they should be flying the stars and stripes from their halyard. Talk about unevolved! The way my cousins put it in regards to the relationship between the two countries is like this: its like sleeping next to a hardworking, lovable elephant who would take a bullet for you but is totally unaware of what happens when rolling over while asleep!!! In other words, the comfort question is huge. I know my cousins are not at all thrilled with Romney for the following reasons: his North American Energy idea. It sounds like a crass political takeover of a friendly neighbor who deserves to be treated better. Also, they already have a Romney clone in Harper who has done everything to Canada that Romney/Ryan want to do to the U.S. I get just about constant warnings about what Romney would do to the U.S. based on what Harper has done. And last of all, none of them want to see us embarassed by Bush III and his malapropisms on gynecologists, etc. They have had enough of that kind of humor at our expense. On top of that, one should remember that Canada is considered one of the most racially tolerant places on the planet. They greatly admire Obama for what he has been able to do despite a racially charged legislature that has sworn to destroy him.

Do you guys see what’s happened here? Now the argument, the vitriol, is about religion. This is what happens when we allow any bigotry, when we do not stand up and shout, “STOP!”
The Tea Party has encouraged all kinds of bigotry, to the detriment of all of us, including them.
The hints (sometimes not so broad), the key words, the insinuations which no one stood up and confronted, in public, all along, has led us to the depths of stupidity.
There is racism in this campaign; there is ill will toward “non-Christians”; there has been sneering and insult and outright lying. No one calls the spade a spade. Untruth is NOT the same as lie.
We have long passed the standard of a civilized nation. It’s up to those of us who rcognixze this to correct it. Stop the dumb sniveling and stick to the issues.

Donna, take a look at this, it is very interesting, and apparently proveable mathematically, which is very valuable. I do not like these machines, I like paper! Also, I find it embarrassing and ironic that the UN is sending observers to make sure we play nice. Faugh! Mortifying!

good morning, all. Robert: the machines are in only two counties. And although there always is the possibility of hacking, it’s not as though the Romney kid has any control over them now–they are owned by the municipalities. In addition, Ohio is 100% backup paper ballots, so it’s not a situation where even those two counties could be stolen without the ability to track/challenge. That’s why there hasn’t bee more concern (and count me as one who always watches for problems from the GOP).

Sidney, As much as Nate Silver’s outlook is favorable, I wonder how his method takes into effect the ability to steal elections by manipulating those electronic voting machines? I don’t understand why the democratic party isn’t more adamant about getting that problem of vote theft fixed. They act like its not an issue. Makes me wonder why?

It worries me about Romney’s affiliation with the company that runs the voting machines in Ohio. It also concerns me that MSNBC and other orgs are making those who discovered this relationship into conspiracy theorists and doing their best to discredit anybody who tries to inform the people.

We’ve been voting by mail for decades, so waiting in line is never an issue here.

Robert….I heard that Romney was in Florida, but I don’t know the actual size of the crowd. Today was the first day of early voting. I live in Broward county which along with Dade county are notoriously blue, and also the 2 counties that produce the tax money for republican voting poverty stricken rest of the state. I waited for over 2 hours in a solidly long, slow line. The voter suppression tactics here have pissed off otherwise uninvolved democrats to wait for up to 5 hours to vote today.
There are many areas of Florida that are very poor, the people live on government aid, dont have a pot to piss in and they are ruby red……..Romney is their man, or Elmer Fudd, or whoever the republicans decide to run. This is still the south and unless the youth get off their butts and to the polls, Obama could lose Florida.
The big “surge” that Romney is experiencing….is bullshit. Your correct, it is just a Rove tactic that he used before.
If you check out Nate Silver’s site you will see that he still has Obama with a commanding lead, but with all the republican dirty tricks this year I am really concerned.
To the mislead republican voters, this is all about getting the black guy out of the whitehouse, at any costs, but for those with eyes to see, a republican win would be a life changer for this country and it’s people, and possibly the world, a distaster in so many ways. I don’t trust Romney, and he wouldn’t be entering the whitehouse alone. The warmongers, the evangelicals, the Mormons, and various other nutjobs would be steering the ship, and I really don’t want my children to go where they want to take us.

Oh Kristy…..my little southern belle….parting is such sweet sorrow, isn’t it?
There will always be a place in my heart for you, right nest to that big ole love bunny Rush Limbaugh, that international genius Sean Hannity and that bastion of brilliance Glenn Beck. Bye-bye now Kristy…..bye-bye.

Sidney, I was listening to the radio and the news came on. They talked about Romney campaigning in Florida and he had a really big crowd. The newscaster emphasized BIG. It sounded like the newscaster was reading a cue that said “really emphasize BIG”. I wish I were there see how big this crowd really was. Something tells me his appeal is being hyped more than it is for real and that the polls are being made out to be better than they are.They guy is very awkward. Sincerity is not his forte. On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve heard Jeb Bush speak recently, and although I would never vote for a republican because they’ve been captured by the far right and even a Jeb Bush would have to bow down to them, I thought Jeb had a real pleasant and thoughtful manner about him. I’ve never heard anything from Romney that would be categorized as anything more than feigned enthusiasm. He doesn’t come off as even believing his own words. I still think the race will be tight unfortunately. As Rush Limbaugh recently said, the republicans would vote for Elmer Fudd if he was the candidate.

You know I got it, I’m not welcome here so why keep beating a dead horse? None of you have actually read my stance on abortion, which is once again PRO CHOICE!!! I just believe Counsiling should be part of the package not Counsiling to stop or prevent a women’s choice but to provide after care!!! I have left this site and have requested no more emails, so leave of and quit harassing me just because I have a different view than you. You have a right to freedom of press and speech just as I do, one of the great things about being an American. After dealing with all of you, I am looking at other political parties. Leave off and allow me to look at other candidates. Mr. Obama’s actions are one thing but his blind followers have for sure sealed any chance of me changing my mind and voting for any democrat. At least the democrats and republicans I know personally can act like adults when discussing politics.

Skyler…….LOVE your name! I used this name for my youngest daughter (18) but spelled it Skylar. Congratulations on your future Canadian residenscy. Will you be eligible to participate in their national healthcare program? I am not at all surprised at the remarks your fellow party goers had concerning our election, which is watched with interest around the world. Obama’s poll numbers from other countries is staggering! He leads Romney by 95%. Only in Pakistan he wasn’t so popular. After 8 years of a US neocon government with their wars and enough deregulation to collapse the global economy, the rest of the world realizes (as do us democrats) that a republican president can do unbelievable damage that effects everyone. They also wonder how millions of republican supporters can be so blind and have such short memories.
Best of luck in Canada! Stay warm!

Fiddlestix honey, if you would vote for any Rethugs you’re out of your mind. They talk the big talk, but are far more likely to sell us out to foreign interests for a profit! And they wouldnt lift a finger to help your son!

I’m curious Kristy, what do you do when a chincy Congress has nixed further security for Embassies and Consulates? Do you, as Commander in Chief just take it upon yourself to start another war? Do you not suppose that the intelligence available to the NSA and the Oval Office ane different than what CNN has accesss to? And very sorry, but Glenn Beck is NOT a journalist but an entertainer, and those are HIS WORDS not mine. If you want news, try the BBC for the best objective news in the world. We gave it up, the news is not profitable enough! And please prosecute your views on abortion upon your own body and leave others to make their own decisions! That is the cost of freedom: you only get to decide for yourself!

Since I live in mother-in-law’s quarters in my daughter’s oceanside house in Nova Scotia, I attended her annual Halloween party tonight upstairs. I’m from Missouri and waiting for my permanent residency to come through (but originally from Missouri). So as we’re enjoying the party, I heard a Canadian mention the upcoming US election and my ears perked. Found out they are all very interested in the presidential (and senatorial) elections.. Perhaps because of military involvements? Anyway, they were all very informed of the issues in the USA, and all of them (8 or so in on this discussion) were overwhelmingly in favor of Obama, and a couple of them said they could not in their wildest dreams imagine anyone voting for that Romney fellow. Needless to say, plans were made for them to return fo my place on election night for another “watch the election results” party. Let’s hope that ends in a celebration. Anyone else out there planning parties for election night?

Robert- I replied in a different tone to you not about a man. I said nothing about the war or events leading up to it. There were no smoke screens about watching the trade centers. That was a very dark time. I do believe the time after 9/11 was handled well both sides came together and focused on the victims. I never said anything about the war under Bush in fact I said he rode on his fathers coat tails.
I am pro-choice and you as a man would have no clue on that one. You must not have really read what I wrote on the subject, I seriously suggest you do so. Once again I responded to you in the same tone you seemed to be speaking to me, but you were just trying to see if I would stumble. Whoops i didn’t. Watch video footage if Obama and if you can see truths for yourself it is there. I very much pray for a solid Democrat with America’s best interests at heart for the next election. I am ashamed that bigiots such as the members if this site call themselves democrats much less Americans. I know who I am question is do you selfrightious bullies and prigs know who you really are? Leave off and quit trying to contact me. You ARE making me want to take my money and time as a housewife and campaign for any Republican just because I known jerks like you will hate every Republican elected into office.

Kristy, You are upset about Obama and his supposed lack of response to the events leading up to and after 9/11/12. What about GW’s lack of response to the many notices he recieved that something big was coming and that infamous Aug memo, not to mention all the other notices he received throughout the summer of 2001? Not to mention the complete failure of the response teams that were supposedly doing make believe missions in response to a terrorist attack, which allowed those jets to do things in other times they would never have been able to get away with… they would have been shot down before the got back to NYC and hit the towers. How about when he got up in front of the world and said Saddam wouldn’t let the inspectors in so we had no choice but to invade, when Hans Blix was in Iraq doing the inspections but he had to pack up and leave before the bombing began… just to mention a few of the very serious mistakes in his presidency. Not to mention the terrible cost in lives for all countries involved… and what about borrowing all the money to fight these wars with supplemental request rather than placing the cost of the into the budget, which Obama did and then he gets blamed for over spending and increasing the deficit spending?. The tone you used in describing GWB’s term was much less hostile than what you used in your dismay over Obama. I have to say, I still think you’re really a person from the right posing as a democrat… Demeanor comes through in peoples postings… plus you’re very anti-abortion (which is fine) but I don’t know anybody with the strong beliefs you have that also voted for Obama.. the hold that the republicans have on many people is their anti-abortion rhetoric… I know people who only vote republican just because of that alone. I just don’t think you’re a person whose nature is on the left or even center. I do think you present yourself well, but I don’t think you’re going to influence anybody here in any way to go to what I think most here would refer to as the dark side, and vote republican…

People who say colour doesn’t play a part in real life, that they don’t see colour or that they are “colour blind” are promoting the structural racism that permeates our society and an informed progressive person should know that. I’m just a randomn reader who was linked here but it annoyed me very very much seeing someone perpeatuate that meme.

Robert- I feel he rode on his fathers coat tails and while some of his family tax breaks helped, the education tax breaks where great. He did make the US look unsophisticated several times. I believe in our time of need on 9/11 and the days following he did a fantastic job. Now Hurricane Katrina was a whole different story, he failed miserably and so much destruction followed. Both times are a very dark time for America. I do think his time in office will always be debatable, will he be remembered for anything great “no”. Bush will always be just a so so president.

Oh and Sidney the difference between us is your willing to play with other peoples money and I can put my own money where I speak. Also Penny, I have never said anything racist. Why don’t you and Sidney go have your independent koolaid tea party while using your wicked political minds to understand the news and the several papers you read each day. Now that is being snarky and rude, there is a difference I’m sure your brilliant minds know the difference. Oh and please tell me all about a women’s right to choose what happens to her body because in rape you get to choose whether it happens or not. You have to be ignorant to believe a rape victim has any choice. People who have never had any experience or worked with people who have experience love to make judgement against others. Once again I think rape laws need to be changed. Also abortion laws should be changed as well but women should have a choice in regards to abortion.

Enjoy your petty conversations. I do not care what you think. I truly hope you do get to experience the things your accusing me of. I know this is just one more thing for you to judge me on but hey who cares.
May God bless you with all the same blessings you have done on to others this day and all of your other days. May you share in the experiences you have wished upon others. In Jesus Name Amen.

Your degrees do not make you intelligent. Lol, I did not start “name calling” nor am I racist. Enjoy your little bubble. I am whatever I am, I can at least stand for what I believe and not follow leader. I will continue to do as I am knowing I make a difference however small and if even one person understood what I was saying then great. I just replied to a blog posting about republican statements on Rape and abortion. Good for those of you who made it just about me being a supposed right wing. I was raised being told if something your saying bothers or touches someone’s nerve so greatly that all they can do is insult or attack you must be telling the truth. The truth hurts.

Robert- I occasionally watch Fox. I watch CNN,NBC and have all the news apps on my phone & tablet. I like to stay informed, his behavior has been noticed over time and lately has just been worse than usual. The reason I feel the whole upper staff including Mr.Obama was due to their actions and lack there of on 9/11/12. I am the sister of an Army Sargent, my Grandfathers,Uncles, Cousins and friends are military men. For me hearing that no one in Washington was available on 9/11 to authorize back up to be sent to the embassy was just insanity, no one available in Washington much less on 9/11? Then to have the information released that our military could have helped the Embassy but was told not to intervene, on top of the fact Mr. Obama apologized on behalf of the United States for the “riot”. Then the news reports the White House and all those in charge of our safety were watching in real time the attack and murders at the embassy. As a Democrat & American it was the final disillusion with the Obama administration. I responded for the first time on this blog because the topic is near and dear to my heart. I firmly believe countrywide the laws on rape need to be amended but not in the ways mention by the candidates or the bloggers response. The abortion laws also need to be changed to include mandatory counseling for the women who have an abortion. I also think that the women who use abortion as a form of birth control should be stopped first for their health and secondly (in my opinion) when a women aborts continuously it then does become a form of murder. That women knowingly does not prevent pregnancy relying on the fact she can just abort the child if she gets pregnant. Once again relying on personal experience working in a OBGYN, I have seen this happen all to often. I have also seen broken hearted women have abortions to give the child the nicest choice they could. Technology has made it so we can see defects in the womb. Many a mother has had abortions to save their children ultimate pain and suffering.
Robert, I hope I have explained myself well enough. I did enjoy this blog, though after attempting to be an active member I’m leaving. I do enjoy well thought out debates, but verbal attacks not so much. I’m intelligent and there are many other places out there.

Sidney: You do all the research you want, you talk about my religion, but I am the one living it. As a teacher of young adult and youth for the last 11 years, I have taught the New testament at least 3 times. Meaning every year, we study the 4 scriptures in rotation, which includes the Book of Mormon, the Doctrines and Covenants, the Old Testament and like now the New Testament. We are studying Luke 1-12, this thurs night as a matter of fact. You want to call us a cult, knock yourself out. Mr romney, has no ecclesiatical authority because he no longer is an active bishop or stake president. Our living prophets have no more control over the president then say, Billy Graham had over those earlier presidents. This “White Horse Prophecy”, is one of those remarks taken out of context. We do not plan to start some kind of theocracy in this country. I think most Christians (get that, followers of Christ, see our formal name) believe when the Savior returns He will rule, so it is not up to us to do anything against the Lord. So take it up with Him when the time comes. Obama/Biden2012!

ok, kristie…i have several degrees; i am a registered independent having gotten fed up w/the democrats and certainly never a repuglican. i read at least two papers a day, sometimes more and watch various news shows…not fox…i tried but it makes me ill to hear fox ‘news’. you could call me a progressive.
but the words and phrases you used are typically racist. yes. they are. sometimes one cannot admit, even to one’s self..that they are racist.
i wasn’t going to respond at all others have. but your final post (i hope) did it. you started the name calling, you started th snide comments.
you want issues but you deny that rape is one of them. no way, honey…no way…what a woman does with her body should be her decision…not that of some male whose ideas of equality are badly warped.

I’m no happier with the far left than i am with the far right. The final blow, the act which did me in, was the entire congress giving up advice and consent; and then the patriot acts. that’s when i apologized to my grand children for delivering to them either the battle of all times to restore humanity and decent government or to seek life on another planet. it doesn’t make a hill of beans to me. i’m 82. how much longer will i be here! but to the future…o, lordie, the future? really terrible. awful. i’ll still take obama over the other clowns any day.

Kirsty….you are a redstate racist. This really isn’t the blog for you sweetie. Most of the posters are political junkies, follow politics very very closely and are wicked smart. You really should go and wipe your mouth, your koolaid mustache is showing.
Please don’t come here spouting rightwing talking points, we all know them by heart and if you truly believe that you are going to “educate” someone here, you are sadly mistaken. Your wrong, you are just flat out wrong and I would bet you $10 thousand dollars of Romneys money that you won’t find anyone here who needs to hear, or agrees with what you have to say. Bless your heart though for trying.

On my Sidney you must have blind faith and selective hearing. You must never watch debates, CNN heck the news in general to make a statement like that. Yes I have had personal issues that I have not only overcome but did so without complaining or needing government assistance. (Which this blog post was about the Republican candidates views on Rape & Abortion. You obliviously are just out to attack, not here with a real opinion on the issue. Much less you do not have a educated background to offer a real discussion on the issue at hand.) Yes I am a registered democrat, yes my first vote was for a Clinton… Bill Clinton. I supported Hillary over Obama. I also voted for Obama in the main election. So you shouldn’t make judgements without knowing all the facts. Just because I have an open mind, watch the news, read papers and make informed decisions does not make me any less of a democrat. I will never follow anyone or any group blindly just because I choose to be a democrat. I enjoy my freedoms and am to intelligent to follow along like pigs to the slaughter. So you nay sayers enjoy being human versions of farm animals. Instead of sitting on a blog why don’t you do some research, watch the news, read newspapers and best of all go out there and make a difference meet the 99% your talking about. I would bet money you have never got off your butts and donated time at a homeless shelters, victims of abuse shelters, veterns hospitals, well any kind of place that helps others in need. Sidney I would never make the mistake of calling me sweetheart, I’m a survivor,southern lady, Mother, Wife, Friend and just enough of a bitch to make it interesting. You “so called” Democrats have your one sided conversation. Enjoy your delusion. Oh and when the UN has to come to the US to be present “to be sure of a fair election process” there is something seriously wrong with the government. Just in case you want to say I have been drinking “the kool aid” again, please refer to the news,CNN or the newspapers. Your lack of education, morals and manners all show with your kool aid comments and the fact you have to point out Mr. Obamas color. That should have no meaning what so ever on his actions right or wrong, he is a person not a color. Get a clue.

Kristy, I know of democrats who who register as republicans and vice versa. They do that so they can vote in the primaries and try to affect the outcome in a negative way for the opposition party. I’m not familiar enough with your post to determine your sincerity, but based on the instances you noted that offended you about Obama, I’d say they are straight out of the rightwing playbook. I’ve only seen two post of yours and everything in them says to me, you’re a rightwing surrogate. There’s several if not lots of people on the blog that say what’s wrong with the Democratic Party. I’m one of them, so opposition to the status quo isn’t censored here. I would never say Obama is treasonous though. Your comments got Fox News viewer written all over them. I’ll wait before I make any further assessments.

Kristy…why don’t you go back to the rightwing website that told you that Obama was talking on his phone during the anthem. Sounds like you had some personal family problems. We all have had problems. We want things to be better…for the 99%. Even if it is a intelligent black president that will deliver the goods. Maybe, just maybe you are a registered democrat, who knows? Who cares? But you drank the koolaid kristy. A lot of it. So you are not a democrat, I NEVER heard of a democrate that swallowed the rightwing propaganda. I would say that you were a Hillary supporter, maybe? But you switched sides sweetie, and if you expect to come on this board and sprout your new found patriotism you better expect some heavy pushback.

Your a typical old person who can’t see change. Obama talks on his phone during the national anthem, ignores salutes from our military and ignores cries for help from our embassy as they are being brutally murdered, while our government watches. So yes I would support ANY other Democrat or Any Republican, it is not about supporting a party but supporting America. I won’t apologize that my belief bothers you, to each their own. If hearing others beliefs bother you you shouldn’t have a public blog. I’m not offended by your beliefs, in fact I have agreed with other things you have said in the past. I think it is to funny the moment someone has something to say different than you, you insult them and tell them to leave. Well God bless you. I pray he watches over you, that you and yours never know the pain of loss ,rape or raising a child alone.
Sincerely,
A single mother who was a victim of rape and raised a child on her own with tons of love and is watching him graduate and go on to study law enforcement. I am also married, successful, and a firm Democrat.

Pffft! Kristy.
Take it somewhere else.
Next thing we’ll have you flapping on about false flag events and similar hoo-hoo.
And , mark this down, there will be NO civil war .
there might be a bunch of you yahoos blattin away about it with but it is not going to happen.

And if the Treason riddled Obama admistration stays in America is looking at civil war. America can not remain as is, we can mudsling all we want about the other candidates at they will protect Americian interests over foreign interests.

What a woman you are daughter!! I guess those old boys have forgotten (or never knew of) the days when abortion meant a rusty coat hanger in a back alley. This all should be between a woman and her doctor. Rape is a crime a violent crime and should be treated as such. If Romney is elected (God forbid) we will end up in a war. I predicted the same with Bush and I’m predicting it with Romney so mark my words. I love your insight and research.

Robert-
I have no illusions about whether corporate monies have come to Mr Obama’s campaigns – they have.
I also have no illusions about where the gent stands on multiple issues and disagree with many.

You can look here at both campaigns’ monies as reported to the FEC through mid October.
Mr Romney has far fewer donations from individuals and far more big ticket donations.

As much as I love Bernie Sanders , he’s not running for Pres and wouldn’t stand a chance in hell if he were.
I’m not going to waste a vote on Jill Stein, whom I am waaaaaayyyyy more left than, nor am I going to entertain the libertarian choice, though I have far left libertarian ideas which sync with right libertarians on some scores.
I am voting for Mr Obama.
and I’ll keep writing high-faluting citizen on a high horse letters to him through his second term . Just like I have all through the 1st.
Our votes are important, staying engaged between elections is just as important.

Dee, your post remind me of the Scientologists standing up for their “religion” assuring everyone all over the Internet that they are just a regular old religion. Mormonism IS a cult. They don’t use THE bible. They don’t believe in the same God as Christians. They have living apostles, who Bishop Romney will listen to, and if you research “the white horse prophecy” and visit ex-mormon.org you will read things that will make your hair stand up.
Please anyone who is interested, research Mormonism, it is not what you think.

Penny: There are not sects of mormonism. We are the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, our offical name. We follow the Savior, Jesus Christ, and believe all should have the liberty to follow their religious beliefs as they wish, without interference.After Joseph Smith, our first prophet was murdered in 1845, his wife chose not to follow the rest of the saints west to what would be Utah. There was a break off group there with her that formed the reorganized LDS group, they are now known as the Community of Christ, based in Independence,Ms. Visited there last year in fact. We share little after the death of the prophet. When I go to church in say, Nicaragua or San Antonio, or Utah, we are taught from the same literature, teaching manuals, etc, we may be a week off, because of something we call conferences, for instance in Sunday school. In our sacrament services, we each are given topics to share with our brethren over the pulpit, with the bishop presiding. We obviously have an active lay leadership, and leadership opportunites. I teach young adults, weekly, now. I have served as president of our young women, and adult women in our unit, and various other callings. You could be the bishop one day, which my husband has done,serve for a few years, be released, called into a wider stake presidency or maybe become the scout leader, teach eight yr olds, for example,the next. There is no paid leadership. We do not talk politics in church, but we are free to vote and serve in our communities, for whom we please.

alaskapi, I read where Obama/Dems had surpassed the $billion mark in donations. Do you know or have you read where the money is coming from? I don’t believe its from mom and pop middle class $$. Somebody’s buying favor.

Our representation in Congress matters as much as who is President in many ways.
I don’t when we’ll be able to flip our obnoxious Rep out of the House here but I keep working with 40% of my neighbors to do so.
Far too many of the other 60% buy the BS that we have to have an incumbent to get any traction with only one Rep. Chicken butts!

Penny, money is a big part of their success (plus the fear of losing their white majority status by 2050). Ever heard of the EMILY Fund? I’m not claiming they’re behind the TP (they’re not in any way affiliated), I’m just using their acronym to explain how money works. EMILY = Early Money Is Like Yeast, it makes things rise. Dick Army played a big role in capturing the TP early on. You know what side of the body politic he’s on? Their success in taking over many elected offices is mostly due to FOX News and the money that came into their organization through Army’s efforts. The far right politicians that saw it as their time jump in and on the bandwagon. When you look at electoral maps, you notice that the majority of the center of the country is Red. By coincidence, FOX News is the only news most of those rural areas can get by contractural agreement. Fox knew who their audience was and where they lived and locked in access to them many years ago (about the same time Dr Laura went from ultra liberal radio talk show host to ultra conservative because she knew where the country was going to be taken politically speaking).

There are other factors, but money and propaganda go a long way in developing a successful movement. The country has about 30 years left of this conservative drift to live through. Bill Clinton also helped with his signing of the bills that allowed the media outlets to consolidate. I know many people want to believe the democratic party heads are really on the side of the people and they are on social issues as much as they can be in today’s climate, but they are more in bed with the direction this country is being taken than what the people on the left want or are willing to believe. What happened to our country over the last 15 years was due to Bill Clinton and the republican congress’s bills he signed off on. Mainly the elimination of Glass/Steagal, the commodity futures/securities modernization act of 2000 and the telecommunications act of 1996. Those are the strengths that give the republican party their power and of course, the Citizens United decision. The beginning of this direction was when Reagan began dismantling the unions and some could say the real beginning of the right’s takeover of our government was after the Barry Goldwater loss when the Moral Majority began its mission. Obama is more like Clinton than he is FDR. The left is just not willing to believe it (yet). The left hasn’t even begun to organize and begin the journey the Moral Majority began back in the early 70s.

Penny/Robert – To add – people need certain conditions in place in order to feel secure. A roof over their heads, know where their next meal is coming from, a job to pay the bills and their needs. When these things are secure they are able to focus on the world around them. But when these things are in jeopardy they focus within their own little world. Too many people have been focusing within. This is the perfect time to put something over on them – the tea party takeover. JMO.

Yah, well I don’t believe that every fertilized egg is God’s plan nor would I expect to see him in prison waiting for his child-of-rape-and-violence to turn up for a loving visit with the criminal father who contributed to his creation out of hatred and assault.

Robert. I agree on the origin of the Tea Party. and that ‘others’ came in and used it as a tool. However, what became the Tea Party has acquired power (I never could understand how, they are so relatively few) and, heady with their ‘fame’, decided to push their whole agenda. They held the nation hostage! Were allowed to! It has been very clever manipulation. Was it all money?

Penny, I think the Tea Party started out as a bunch of people who were frustrated at both parties pandering of the mostly social issues important to them, but never really acting on their promises. Then the republican party hyerarchy saw the danger the movement posed and sent in surrogates to fund the movement and re-direct it towards a more republican “we’ll control your message because we know better” platform… and most in the movement were/are too clueless to see they’re being used again.

Tiffany…whether or not to continue an unwanted pregnancy also affects the other children in the household, and everyone in the family. Where will this person sleep? Whose food will he consume? Will there be money for his medical care? education? What happens to the rest of the family if it is stretched so thin that no one benefits? How many children can the mother deal with? I had an abortion after delivering three healthy children. I knew I simply could not deal with a fourth. Who is anyone else to make that decision for me? who else can possibly know what it means to the mother? If you’re so concerned, adopt those unwanted babies.

From the days of Rosie the riveter (which I recall very well), men have been getting nervous. Til then, certain vocations and activities, including war, were the province of men only. When the women took over the jobs of men called to WWII, and later wound up flying fighter jets, it left very little for men to ‘own’. Obviously not all men. I was married to one, now cohabit with another, who have total respect for people who deserve it, their genitalia notwithstanding. My quesion is….where are the women who are raising their sons to respect women? as men.

To argmarg: Roe v Wade only made it possible for doctors to perform abortions on patients when the decision is made that it is healthier than continuing the pregnancy and not after the first trimester. I don’t think the nation has decided it went too far. I think the Tea Party has tasted some power and has decided to push it’s entire agenda forward onto a nation of people regardless of how else that nation may believe. That is unconstitutional.

A question for Dee. Are there different ‘sects’ to Mormonism? Do all congregatios believe as you stated? It seems to me that there are some Mormons who do not adhere to the things you have said…and thank you for the lesson…I’ve read a little but know so little about Mormonism. We need to know more about all religions so we can better understand one another.

There is no question that caucasians will be in the minority before very long. So what! There is one thing that approaches a panacea, the lack of which develops a permanent slave class. Education. If you deny education, good health, food, shelter, opportunity to people long enough, they will become the slaves…ready to do almost anything for food. This is what will happen if Paul Ryan’s plans are put into action. The good Catholic Paul Ryan. Does that frost your cookes or what!

Oh yes, it is a miracle! It is the most amazing thing that the genes turn on and off and the ontogeny recapitulates the phylogeny and then at delivery a healthy newborn arrives! The fact that most ARE healthy despite all the factors involved is amazing! However, it SHOULD NOT BE A MATTER FOR LEGISLATION! Keep that in the forefront please. Believe what you want and act accordingly but do not force your belief on others!!

kthomas…can you honestly say there is no racism in this campaign? it is strife with racism. key words and phrases, outlandish references…surely you cannot think that the electorate is not racist? really?

With all of the yammering about rape, all of the professed concerns for the poor women, has there been one person who has said…”Let’s make rape a crime of violence, with apt penalties.” Not one! I haven’t heard it. I want to hear one senator or representative, one candidate for anything, say…”Rape is a crime of violence against society and should be treated as such, with all the penalites we have at hand.” (stomping off, muttering to myself)

Just another last ditch power play, Penny, by the OWM who see their stranglehold slipping away. But the genie is not about to go back in the bottle. Pregnancy is no longer a condition they can use to subjugate us, do what they will. They may be jealous of our part in this deal, but they are really trying to keep one of the most effective weapons in their arsenal!

Penny, also if the personhood amendment was passed and a woman had a natural miscarriage, (which happens in 50% of pregnancies), her uterus would become a crime scene. Neglegent homicide. Was the miscarriage caused by improper diet? Heavy lifting? Medication or alcohol? Maybe your husband upset you and you both will face charges? Romney said he would sign this bill.

And here, ladies and gentlemen, is the whole argument by those too blind to see beyond the moment. Katherine, you did a splendid job. You used (almost) every lie and piece of misinformation and totally false statement used by the anti choice people. IF you’re so concerned for what you call a baby, adopt all those babies who are not wanted. No, the miracle of birth and the formation of a viable human are not the same. The viable human who is being formed, who finally forms sufficeently to live out side of the womb, is who we meet upon delivery…the delivery of such a person is a miracle…the formation thereof in utero is not. Can youg et that much straight in your head?

Somewhere you missed it…the morning after pill would also be gone. Like implanting a fertilized egg would be gone. These gooks want to determine who, when and what happens with the vaginas of the world! Those penises (penii?) will rule!!! That’s the whole picture. Male rule.

The more I read, the more convinced I become. Men are jealous of the ability to be pregnant, which condition I never thought was so terrific myself. Judges who declare, “she was asking for it by her mode of dress”: gang rapes: even the need to define ‘forcible’ rape, like there’s any other kind: the whole God intended it nonsense…it all comes down to her bearing the results…’cause he can’t! That’ll show ’em…arggggggggggggggggh

I never thought of rape as a racist thing. You may very well be right. There has never, since LBJ, been such rampant and overt racism. It is appalling. Yet, there are minority race repuglicans, women repuglicans, lgbt repuglicans. How does that happen? It is, quite simply, beyond my ken. waaaaaaaaaaaaay beyond.

If every fertilized egg is gods will and gods plan, then every miscarried fertilized egg is also gods will and gods plan. Considering that up to 50% OF ALL fertilized eggs are naturally miscarried, then god is the biggest abortionist that ever existed.

I lunch with some ladies with whom I play mah jongg, once a week. At the lunch table I asked…”do any of you believe what the candidates are saying? and if not, why?”
universally, they all said that both candidates were liars, they believed no one and they were all crooked.
did they believe that romney would defund planned parenthood?
yes. but they ‘knew’ that if you really wanted an abortion you could get one. Excuse me, what?

If you back off and look at the scenario now unfolding, don’t you wonder…why? Why? What can it possible mean to the most passionate that ‘she be forced to have that baby’?
First, it is not a baby until certain developments occur. That is scientific fact. Nonetheless, IF your purpose is to defend the helpless infant, then support the pregnant woman, take the baby as your own and raise it. That’s it. There’s the solution.
So I look for another reason for such passion against aboriton…I am not pro abortion, I am pro choice. What is it about pregnancy that so enrages so many men? Could it be that this is the one thing women can do that they cannot? The one thing! Women can deliver life! men cannot.
And they can’t stand it.

If, indeed, the Mormon church teaches the ‘newcomer’ chooses the mom/situation…ok. That’s fine. What happened to the love, peace, we-are-all-brothers/sisters ‘rule’? I do believe in reincarnation, that we come to this life w/a contract of what to learn this time. We come in peace, with love…at first. The nasties are learned once we get here. There is never an excuse for violating a sentient being. Never. By anyone, for any reason. Nope!

Just in case you haven’t enough to irritate you; and in case you missed this scrolling across the bottom of the screen during and Ed show on MSNBC, here it is.
convicted rapist sues for visitation rights, mother must take child to visit in prison twice a month
i gasped out loud, glued my eyes to the screen to see it again to make sure that’s what i saw. it came again.
is it me or is there not sanity left?

Madam, you must not have ever been the victim of rape. I have and there is no other kind than forced rape. It does not matter if your date, family member or person of power comits the crime you are still being forced. Yes, the government needs to change the laws on rape and YES some women love to cry rape when they do not get their way or after one night stands. Women like that make prosecuting certain easy rape casesvery hard, frankly to many women have cried wolf.
On the abortion issue…yes women should be able to choose to keep the child or abort the child. Any women who has an abortion should have to have mandatory counseling, all to often after having an abortion women become severely depressed even attempt suicide. I would have to say, yes that makes abortions a life threatening issue (not just to the fetus).
Also yes the rights to my body are more important to me than the economy, I know the males will be covering that angle it is up to the women to worry and stand up for our own legal and medical rights.

hi Robert -yes I remember that very well -we lived on a farm but I went to school in a small town that had no Catholic church so we had to go to another town for church and Saturday (what a bummer!) instruction. But yes those nuns really put education for their students ahead of everything-and good for them. They are still struggling with those issues now. The Catholic church would be much better off if they would put nuns in charge. Ha! Like that would ever happen- There seems to be an emergence of ultra conservative types like Scalia and Ryan etc- that I find hard to believe were actually raised Catholic -they may have that old guilt complex but they seem to have been absent during the major part of the doctrine -social responsibility ….compassion etc… To,me the backbone of the church. I think you see my point – it is cultural and if you were not raised Catholic you just don’t see it. -That would be my excuse for these types but I know Ryan was raised Catholic so I just don’t get it at all. So I am glad I had the benefit of being raised that way but like so many of us raised during the 60s we are completely baffled and want nothing to do with the current church – BTW There are several of us who do not believe the current Pope is spiritually chosen either. Thanks-enjoyed the conversation

Hi Linda Ayn, amazing how many of us there are with similar thoughts and that common experience. I like your term “cultural” in describing that bond we still have. I’ve also met some real rigid Catholics (all men), they’re not so pleasant to be around. In my hometown, the Catholic school is probably the best school in town. More people than can afford to want to sent their kids there. They teach real science unlike other parochial Evangelical type schools that believe the earth is about 7000 years old.

A friend of mine sends his kid to one of the latter, because its closest to his place. He says the science part is the most difficult for him to explain to his son as they teach them that dinosaurs are also only 7000 years old.

So as backwards as the Catholic church hyerarchy may be in trying to maintain the status quo and the grip they want to hold on people’s actions, there’s another element, especially coming from of the nuns, that are trying to continue modernizing the Catholic church. That’s a good thing, at least here in America. I don’t know if you remember the mid 60s, but that’s when they tried to be more hip and had guitar masses. I think the singing nun and that song she made popular back then, had a big influence on that. The song was “Dominique”. Remember the comedy with Sally Field, The Flying Nun? Another attempt to modernize the church and bring it mainstream. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO7cD6qmydo&feature=related

As a “wayward ” or a “recovering” Catholic -I feel pretty much the same Robert- I think being Catholic is just as much a cultural thing as religious -I will always be Catholic in that way and proud of it. As for the church doctrine -not so much – as for the church leadership -want nothing to do with that at all-and I’m quite comfortable with all of that.

Robert, you so brought back memories of childhood for me. I still like the pageantry of the catholic church but I have so outgrown some of the manipulation. Yes, I also did suscribe to the propaganda that mine was the true religion. I am glad I woke up. I currently see value in everybody’s chosen way to worship and I believe God, Buddha, Yehovah, Allah, etc., knows we are all reaching for him/her in our own way.

Easier, I think that free will concept was created so the people who push that story line and belief system, can give their God an easy out when things go bad or horribly wrong.

I was raised Catholic too. Of all the religions to have been indocrtrinated into, I’m glad it was Catholicism. Only because I liked the pagentry of the mass and mystical nature of the old Gothic church I went to. It was built by Italian and Sicilian immigrants in the early 1900s. It had a pipe organ in the balcony and the girls choir sounded like angels when they sang the Gregorian chants. The original generations are mostly dead now. back then the girls had to wear something on their head when they were in the church, so it wasn’t uncommon to see a kleenex draped over their heads because they didn’t bring a veil. The church is mostly patronized by Latinos now and the few remaining old timers.

As a child, I remember seeing a painting in the church foyer of these souls (they looked like ghouls similar to that famous picture, Scream by Edvard Munch). They were surrounded by flames that were burning off the sins they died with, because they hadn’t gone to confession regularly. Obviously it affected me as I still remember it today. As a child, I went to confession as often as I could. Didn’t want to end up in Purgatory with all those flames, uh uh, no way. One time I was really proud because I could tell the priest how good I’d been and had no sins to confess. He said I was lying and sent me back to the pews to think about it, so I made up some stuff. The other thing I remember most was sitting in Catechism class on a Saturday when I wanted to be playing with my friends. This rather large boy named George sat behind me. He sneezed. I turned around and saw this big booger hanging down. I can still see it. Those are my most vivid memories being raised Catholic. Well, one other one involving a nun, but I’ve said enough.

In all honesty, as much as I don’t consider myself religious, I like my Catholic upbringing and like meeting other Catholics. I guess its common denominator thing that we have with other people raised Catholic. After all, back then, we all thought our religion was God’s chosen one, but we never said it out loud. We didn’t know then, that all the other people of different faiths thought that too about theirs. Things seemed so much more wholesome back then.

CCwatchdog: Honey you got problems, If you were or are a member of the church, you would know there is no such thing as a “temple mormon” , perhaps you mean “endowed”, which I am. Have been since 1983.. I do not abrogate my beliefs or scriptures. Go look at mormon.org, and see our stance on abortion. The women who said she had an abortion in RS, was not “run” out of RS. What you are saying sounds like you are the one dissaffected. Since i was just in Utah for education week back in August, have spent plenty of time on temple square in the library, and the church history bldgs, etc, I kinda think I am up on the history, better than you think. You rewally want to keep having this discussion?

Thanks Helen and Margaret. Another great post! Robert, today I was having this discussion with colleagues of mine about some of the points you brought up in your 4:26 PM post. In a nutshell, the question was asked whether or not Hitler would go to heaven. A long discussion ensued. I told them in conclusion that since God created us all, He should have known that Hitler was going to bring a lot of suffering to humanity. Does God share responsibility for foistering him on us? There was deafening silence and the discussion ended.

I was raised catholic and I just committed blasphemy, I guess. I don’t know if free will trumps even the will of God as some have stated, trying to justify Hitler’s existence. I have been told that God gave us free will and will not take it back, leaving us to make the choice between good and evil. However, why should somebody’s free will overrule mine? If Hitler chooses to kill millions, or a rapist chooses to do rape, what about the free will of the people affected by their actions? Yes, we are affected daily by the actions of other people exercising their free will. Look at how world war II affected this entire planet. Hitler exercised his free will at the expense of an entire planet. Same for rapists committing their violent act. A child born out of rape might be loved by an exceptional woman but more often than not, that child would be forever a reminder that she was the result of an act of violence. Should God punish the mother for not loving this child?

Therefore, Robert, I think that you might have a point that the devil might be the creator of evil acts and that allows me to leave God out of the equation because none of it ever added up for me. An all good all seeing God would not have created a Hitler, nor allow people who choose to rape and main to come here and create mayhem.

As for the pro-life doctor, I hope that your arms are wide open to give food, shelter, education, love, health care, etc., to all children born under some of the dire circumstances that lead people to choose abortion.

Between the likes of Mourdock, Akin, Walsh, etc., and yes, even Romney and Ryan, God is really getting it in the back of the neck! I doubt if God is going to put up with that much longer and in some way get the message to these guys, sometimes very obviously and sometimes not. Yup. I’d bet a new pair of shoes on this!

I live in the state in which Mr. Mourdock is campaigning. In addition to his cruel and stupid rape comments, he was already on record with views confrontational in every unhelpful way: he said, “Those who want to call out for bipartisanship are wrong”; he likes to “inflict” his views on others, he wants to shut down public schools, and end Medicare. He is a bellicose and inflated, sanctimonious T-Party bigot.

It’s interesting that these religious folks who believe as the man that made this now infamous statement, “even when life begins with that horrible situation of rape, that is something that God intended to happen.” always attribute things they favor to something God intended. But if I recall correctly from my religious upbringing, there’s two forces out there, good and evil. God is associated with all things good and righteous, and the Devil with all thing evil and heinous.

How can we be certain that this rapist wasn’t acting on behalf of the Devil, therefore his seed that impregnated his victim is coming from an evil act the Devil intended? Couldn’t this act be just as easily construed as coming from an act of the Devil as it is from God? This God that so many people seem to think exist certainly wouldn’t cause a man to commit rape would he? So the actual rape had to be as result of the Devil making this man act on his behalf.

Therefore the child was conceived because the devil intended it. If outrageous statements like the one that politician made are going to be endorsed by the likes of a presidential candidate, shouldn’t they have to realize that child could just as easily be the child of the Devil. Couldn’t the Devil have intended that just as easily as God? Because if that rapist was acting on the will of God in these peoples minds, there’s not a woman out there that is safe from unwanted advances in their belief system.

Bare in mind, I don’t believe in any of this stuff as an adult, but I do know hundreds of millions of people who do ( or at least claim to be Christian and you got to know the Devil exist in your belief system as a powerful force too, you can’t pick and choose what you believe in that book and all the myths surrounding it, its not a buffet), so let’s at least include the entire belief system of these people when discussing such things as this man wants us to believe and Mitt endorses too.

Maybe this same man believes God intended for all those victims of the Nazi’s to die in the horrible ways they did too. Where does it stop? It seems God can be attributed as being the force behind anything these far right religious people want it too.

‘On the universality of access to healthcare, on torture, and on pre-emptive war, my conscience therefore requires me to withhold support for the Republican candidate. I disagree with him on many prudential policy grounds – but none reach the level of moral seriousness of the above. Yes, a lot of this comes from my faith in the teachings of Jesus and the social teaching of the Catholic tradition in its primary concern for the poor and weak and the sick – rather than praising, as Romney and Ryan do, the superior morality of the prosperous and strong and healthy. But on all three topics, a purely secular argument also applies, simply based on the core dignity and equality of the human person, and the fragile advances we have made as a civilization against barbarism like torture.’

Dear Mikey and Robert, the Dr said her philosophy is based on her observations. I’m not a Dr, so I can’t make those observations. Mocking her degree or her opinion (which she is entitled to hold) is unkind. If we focus on the real issue and don’t get sidetracked we stand a better chance of making headway, don’t you think? We need to remind these people til the cows come home that we are not required to base our actions, philosophies or lives on their opinions. Period. Without exception.

I sincerely doubt that Tiffany is a doctor, a scientist or even a woman. But for the sake of argument, let’s say she is. As a doctor she would know that based on her argument, God is the largest abortion provider and not Planned Parenthood. As a scientist she would know that a fertilized egg has the potential to become a thousands different things before it might become a human child. And as a woman she would know that how one heals after something as tragic as rape is a deeply personal experience that should be held sacred to the woman going through the process. She has been wounded and should have access to whatever medical procedures she needs to heal and one day maybe recover from the violent crime perputraded on her by the clearly unreligious and ungodly male life form that might have been better off if never permitted to become one.

“I want to make one thing absolutely clear: Mr. Mourdock’s comments from last night in no way reflect my position on this or any other issue,” said the Divine Creator, speaking at a press conference this afternoon to address Mourdock’s remarks that rape-induced pregnancies were God’s intent. “And furthermore, I would like to take this opportunity to say definitively that I, God, do not officially sanction or condone the words or actions of anyone involved in the fanatical, conservative Christian faction that Mr. Mourdock represents.”

“Many people hear my name in connection with the Christian Right and start to assume we are aligned in some capacity, and I’m here to say, for the record, that we are not.” 🙂

A women who beocmes pregnant should have the right to do with her body as she wants. She would be the mother of a child, with all the legal authority make decisions for that child.
So she should have the same rights while pregnant.
To insist that women bear a rapist child is cruel punishment to that woman, who would be victamised twice, once by the rapist and again by society.
31 states allow the rapist/father access to a child born of rape.

If you don’t like abortion, don’t have one. But do not push your religious views on me.

A “doctor and scientist” who believes life begins at conception, hasn’t taken the required chemistry or genetics. It’s only a potential human, and most of the attempts will be naturally aborted by the body, far more than could ever come to term, because they won’t be viable. The pro-life movement would be more accurately named “pro-birth”.

If you want to give legal rights to the UNborn, you’ll have to consider equal status for all the UNmarried (because they MIGHT someday be married), and hire the UNqualified, who might potentially become qualified. You can’t confer rights upon an “un” – because they aren’t yet!

Tiffany, there are actually other religions in the world that do not believe “life” starts at conception and that, scientifically, conception actually does take awhile to occur. In short, there is a gap between sex and egg/sperm unification which actually may not be a successful union and will not go any further in about 24% of fertilizations. There is also something else here, the idea of “ensoulment” which a lot of religions believes may start shortly before birth or even at birth. All of this is rather untidily wrapped up in media verbage like “a woman’s choice” which is why a lot of people just don’t get it. Consequently, do your best not to force your ideas and your bumperstickers on anyone other than yourself.

Linda Ayn, you could also add that most of those supporting the actions you noted, also thought themselves to be good Christians too. Isn’t it amazing what religion can enable under the guise of God is on our side.

Dear Dr, back to freedom 101: you are free to form your beliefs based on whatever you like. You are not free to force other people to make decisions based on your beliefs. Some women consider childbearing a sacred gift, some a privilege, some a duty, some a burden, and some a curse. Why do you have the right to stick your nose in? Do you argue for or against the right of parents to choose Rx care for their children? The child doesn’t get to choose. What if they choose ssomething unconventional? If the sick one dies is it prosecutable? Murder or negligence?

If we would solve some of the real problems we are facing (btw, being overburdened by taxation is NOT one of them) such as depressed wages, part time work only, availability of quality health care, child care, elder care, education, and food, some of these other problems would diminish or go away. Many women choose to terminate because they have no other choice; if their personal philosophies demand that they give their children a reasonable life and they cannot, why does your personal philosophy trump theirs?

Tiffany -we are a self centered society that supported a President that attacked a country (Iraq) for profit and then continued to allow him to continue this policy for 8 years – resulting in the murders of 250,000 + women and children -pro-life? really?

K Thomas, actually his mother did raise him. She sent him back to the States for education – the education system in Indonesia, while good at the time, was not really good enough to prepare anyone for the rigors of American higher education (when learning actually meant something.) I grew up in SE Asia and it was common practice then to send kids back to the states to live with relatives & wrap up studies and help with our transition from overseas living (often in remote areas) to living in America. So really. You are speaking out of your ass.

What is selfish or self-centered? To not want to have a child or having a child. Why do we think we have so much to offer that we think a child would give everything to have us as their parent? Why do we think our DNA/gene pool is so valuable that we must pass it on to another? How many of us really have what it takes to raise a child to be all they can be? If you really think about it; it is selfish/self-centered to want a child or two or more.

IMO Pro-choice is not taking something away or forcing something upon you. If you don’t approve of abortion no one will make you have one. Most pro-choice people would prefer to reduce the need for abortions not increase. However, Pro-life people wish to force their belief upon others. And this is the problem.

The parents of Rush, Rove, Bush, Cheney, Palin, Romney and those mentioned in M&H to mention a few must have been extremely self-centered to think they could raise great children.

Obama should take Donald Trump up on his offer and give the $5 million to military families or something. Of course, Fox News would find fault with that decision too, just like they are bashing him for voting early. They are hard up for things to find fault with for sure.

This guy, Nate Silver, is superior in his ability to predict outcomes. He says there’s a 70% chance Obama wins.

Apparently the Romney campaign and their media surrogates, including various polling agencies, are being very misleading as to the actual sentiment among voters, and that he isn’t gaining an edge on Obama. Its exactly the opposite.

Tiffany, you are welcome to believe anything you like. I am not pro-abortion, I am pro-contraception and education, two things the GOP are also against,
And frankly, I refuse to let you dictate my daughters and granddaughters futures for them. My DIL has two children,a nd is using an IUD because she si not to get pregnant again. She gets terrible varicose veins, has to be on bed rest, and it is dangerous. She also has a family history of mental retardation, and just does not want more children. Your party would tell her that she must bear as many children as God gives her, at whatever cost to herself and her family? And heaven forbid she was ever raped. THEN your ‘small government’ party wants the governmkent to step in and make SURE she cannot get the morning after pill, not to kill a baby, but to stop a sperm from meeting an egg. You just take religion OUT of government, as the founders planned, not make us a theocracy.

I don’t remember ever having been so intensely angry at politicians. I just cannot believe that this incredible b.s. is coming out of the mouths of people alive in 2012. Thanks Margaret and Helen for lining it all up for folks.

Tiffany, about these selfish people. Doesn’t it worry you to make selfish people carry a pregnancy to term when they don’t want to? Selfish people might not take care of themselves and harm the baby with their actions like not eating right, smoking, drinking, and things I can’t bring myself to imagine.

Maybe we should lock up the selfish ones. That way, we’ll be able to control what they eat and all that. After the baby is born, the committee on controlling everyone can decide if the woman should be made to bring the baby up or if the baby should be adopted.

Helen, I don’t know if you read all these comments but I have come across something that I think you would be interested in reading then maybe writing about. You have a very big audience and this is an important matter that must get out there to be shared before the election.

I wasn’t going to comment, but I felt that I should let Katherine know that there are other women out there who agree with her. As a doctor and a scientist, I believe that life begins at conception. The pro-choice rally likes to portray anyone anyone who is opposed to abortion as a religious wacko. But there are many who have formed their beliefs based on science, not the bible. Sadly, many in this country are so selfish that they forget that a “woman’s choice” does not just affect that woman….it also affects her unborn child. At what point does the pro-choice movement think that someone should make choices about what is best for that baby? We are a sad self-centered society.

Dee, I assume you are not a “Temple Mormon” or do not believe that the “ordinances from Heavenly Father” and the “teachings of the Prophets”are valid any longer. I do know that Mormons abrogate their scriptures, but I do not believe they have approved abortion, so you not would be able to stand up in Relief Society or during a Sunday service and say that you would have an abortion. I know in my old ward, they ran a woman out because she said that. I probably have a better grasp on Church History and practices than you ever will have. You need to spend time in the Church archives in SLC reading the diaries and journals of the Saints, then you would have a better understanding of the Church.

Argmarg, you raise such a good point. I think for many, and definitely for me, it’s easier to explain how restricting legal access to safe abortions is harmful when you talk in terms of rape. In a rape situation it’s easy to see that making abortion illegal or red-tape filled will further hurt people who are already hurting. A man being forced to raise a rapist’s child, or leave a wife he loves because he can’t handle raising said child, is something even a well meaning pro-life husband can understand.Forcing his wife to air her (their?) shame and having her decision questioned or condemned is easy to grasp when you’re looking at a rape situation. Loving husbands could also realize that he’d rather his beloved wife have an abortion than lose her (and possibly the mother of his existing children) if a real medical complication comes up, e.g. a tubal pregnancy. It brings the abstract into sharp focus. It helps people past the preconceived notion of abortion = easy & convenient birth control.

I think we take it as a given that these awful situations would make even the most well meaning pro-life person realize that it’s way too complicated to allow slippery slope legislation by exception. However, you’re right. That is NOT a given at all. It makes them think they can start dictating which exceptions they can live with, rather than thinking the government should just stay OUT of intensely private medical decisions.

Like you, Helen, I am struck with awe and rage when I read what these men have said WHEN THEY KNEW CAMERAS WERE ROLLING. It is terribly frightening that they have mangaged to govern for this long before their lack of respect for half of the human population has been revealed in such vile, asinine ways. What’s interesting is their boldness and arrogance in making ANY comment about rape and abortion and what is the right decision to make when they lack the obvious criteria for being qualified to speak about any of this: A VAGINA. And you are dead on: a woman’s ability to control her pregnancies is DIRECTLY linked to her ability to control her financial stability. Married women, single women, black women, white women, poor women, working class women, middle class women – hell, we ALL know with a certainty that men are blissfully exempt from that a poorly timed pregnancy can completely change the course of our lives for the worse. How dare any vagina-free persob make all these hypotheses about when/how/if WE can terminate a pregnancy and thus save ourselves from financial and emotional bankruptcy?!

Indeed, Argmarg. You make an excellent point. Currently, abortion seems to be another thing to shame women about. Either they have had too many, engaged in too much sex, not taken responsibility for the consequences of their sex (????) or pooh-poohed a gift from god.
Funny how it’s the men 99% of the time expounding thier viewpoint on something they have no knowledge of, personally. Never stops them though.

“You don’t have to be a genius to realize that a woman’s ability to control her economic future is absolutely influenced by her ability to control her pregnancies.”– Thank you for this!
Aside from the whole Handmaid’s Tale terror of GOP world, the thing that blows my mind about all this: we’re only allowed/daring to speak of abortion in terms of rape. I admit I haven’t researched it, but I’m thinking most abortions have nothing to do with rape. This really is the dreaded slippery slope that began with abortion restrictions: now as a political society, we seem to all agree that the blessed freedoms provided by Roe v Wade were really too much. Have we just conceded that the “it’s a medical choice a woman makes” is already a moot point? When did that happen??
I am so upset by this election, I can barely articulate a sentence– thank you, Helen, for saying it for me!

Delurker considering Mourdock’s opponent is also Pro-Life, Romney supports means having his party in power is more important than having politicians who respect women. Not the same as you are suggesting.

Romney has not distanced himself from the platform that is behind all the gross comments about rape.

Then I hope you are prepared to outlaw war and dispan the military. Also, capital punishment must go as well. All available funds must go to feeding the hungry and universal healthcare because anything else constitutes a culture of death not life.

You are so narrow in your views.

Planned Parenthood promotes birth control not abortion. It offers abortion to women who have decided to end an unwanted pregnancy.
Planned Parenthood does more in a day to prevent abortions than the church or the government can do in a year(s). Unfortunately, despite Planned Parenthoods heroic efforts, sometimes a woman may still find herself unprepared and unwilling to bring a child into this world. That is her choice.

CCwatchdog, I am mormon and your interpretation of my religion, is filled with inaccuracies. I am married , but do not need my hubby to “lift my veil” to be resurrected.(huh?) We believe that a women is NOT a second class citizen. My husband would be more accountable, if he forsook covenants we both have made.Many women have never been married, and they will be given the same opportunites in the hereafter, that a man would lose if he never took the opportunity to marry, in this life. We hold leadership roles, speak our minds in joint councils, and help determine goals collectively. Sure , we don’t hold the priesthood, and I’m not missing anything. We believe that bearing children is sacred, but our choice. If I or my 3 grown daughters were raped, been violated in an incestuous relationship, or could not carry a child to term because it would cause her mortal harm, we have the choice to abort. Nobody tells us how many, or when to have kids, so we use contraceptives that we desire. Instead of abortion, we encourage adoption, but you are not going to be castigated because you had a child out of wedlock. I support Pres Obama,I believe Mitt, has lost his integrity, and we will have to deal with that, when he meets his maker.

Be careful not to sound like all the loons that think Obama’s relationships with Rev Wright and Bill Ayers mean Obama agrees with everything they say! Romney said he disagrees with that statement but still endorses him as the best candidate. Fair enough.

Instead, focus on the fact that Romney probably AGREES with the guy despite saying otherwise, and that as liar in chief he would govern according to those beliefs if he gets the chance. Getting that guy elected is important to help him accomplish that agenda. That’s the problem!

Sorry if that didn’t come out as I intended. I’m just pointing out the possible hypocrisy label, yanno?

Gato, thank you so much for the ‘last resort’ comment. I don’t know anyone who is pro choice who loves abortion. Most women who have abortions don’t do it without much thought and a lot of angst, at least those I have known in my life. It is never an easy or light decision. If we want to have fewer abortions in the world, we need better education and excellent, low cost access to birth control!

Hi, Katherine – And then there was that nut-ball who suggested that parents ought to be able to request capital punishment for their “unruly” children, all through legal processes, to be sure…

So, of course, you are correct in saying that things can go too far on either side. Abortion is a very difficult issue; I had one, so I have some personal experience. I wasn’t raped. I was living with my boyfriend, and had yet another IUD that didn’t do its job. (Thank you so much, oh wonderful pharmaceutical and medical device corporations, who are so capable of testing and regulating yourselves…) And, when I had it, it wasn’t legal, either. However, I was an intelligent, up-and-coming young white woman, living in Manhattan, with many resources available to me. Women like myself, in this country, have always been able to get safe abortions, somehow, even when abortion was not legal. And we always will be.

I do not think that “permitting” abortion is the same as “promoting” abortion. I think those in favor of “choice,” such as myself, think of it as a last resort. It is necessary so long as we live in a society in which rapists are legally entitled to the same “rights” as real fathers; where birth control is not easily and readily available and considered responsible; where sex education is not taught in schools; where adoption is not easy; where prenatal and postnatal care is limited; where free child care for working women is rare; where girls and women are too often thought to be secretly “asking for it”; where every single commodity – from razors to cars to athletic shoes to deodorant – is sold on the basis of sex; and where women are not considered equal citizens… Then we must have abortion as an option.

Our vaginas may not be designed to “shut down this kind of thing,” but our votes certainly are.

JC – I would add – the fear the “people of color” out numbering the whites in the near future. This fear of being out numbered and becoming the minority in this country, founded by white christians, is driving them to this point. No abortion, no birth control, no sex education. They have to realize by eliminating these options the number of unwanted pregnancies will rise. I never heard much concern about woman of color having abortions just the little white girls. Just my 2 cents. I also wonder if some of them know the difference between consensual sex and rape.

I swear, these men are so anti-woman, that they will say anything to keep women from making any decisions. Rape is never about sex, rape is always about power — power over women and getting away with it! All of these Republican candidates are such idiots! I do hope they lose and lose big!

Thanks for ALWAYS keeping it real when it comes to what the Repubs are trying to do to women’s rights Helen.. Proud to have you on the side of equal rights for all. We have all worked tooooooo hard and come to far to give up ANY ground on this issue.

I agree with what Biden said in the debate. I would NEVER impose my “religious beliefs” on others, no one should.

It’s funny how those who are anti women’s rights are ALWAYS so fired up when it comes to groups like the Taliban forcing their reliegious views on others, but when it comes to THEIR religous views? they don’t mind a bit.

Katherine, you seem to be unclear on the concept. We let you live according to your dictates. That is your right. You let other people live according to their dictates. Those are their rights. You aren’t responsible for them, they aren’t responsible for you.

BTW 97% of Planned Parenthood’s activities are not abortion related. Not. NOT. They are health and wellness and education related. And how do you feel about ectopic/tubal pregnancies, dear? Have you an opinion on that one? Also God’s will?

CDP, many people consider the morning after pill to BE AN ABORTION and they want to ban it. Then what do we do?

Please leave racism out of it. You may have a problem with Mr. Obama’s skin color, Pythia, but the rest of us don’t. His mother? That’s another issue all together. She didn’t raise him. She sent him to his grandparents.

CDP, if the GOTP has their way, the ‘morning after pill’ will be banned because it is a contraceptive that aborts an egg that has been fertilized and therefore is considered a living being. Many of them are trying to pass personhood amendments, which Mitt Romney has said he agrees with and Paul Ryan has signed on to. So this will be just one more attack on the choices of women. Also, not everyone has access to the morning after pill. It is not inexpensive. And some pharmacists don’t carry it or won’t give it out on moral grounds.

Rape is a much more complicated issue than you make it out to be. A women doesn’t just ‘get raped one night and the next morning go to the pharmacy and say give me the morning after pill’. There are a multitude of issues a woman has to deal with, physical, emotional, etc. The physical and emotional aftermath of dealing with a rape can take days if not weeks, months and years for some women. There may be some who can be as mechanical as you say about it. But many others are not, can not be. Do we force them to carry the child because they did not have the mechanical detachment you speak of to take the morning after pill fight after it happened?

Romney has refused to answer reporters’ questions about the Mourdock comments; what a characterless coward. And he wants to be the leader of the free world! It looks like the Republicans have decided to stick by Mourdock, including John McCain. This alone is reason enough to vote Democratic.

Hey, CDP! That was really insensitive! There are way too many places in this country where a rape victim cannot get the morning after pill cuz various medicos and pharmacists have been given a hall pass on prescribing and/or dispensing it based on religious or moral grounds. And very often a pregnancy can “hide” behind what seems to be normal continuing female functions and by the time it is detected it would be too late for the morning after pill. Does that answer yer question?

You are right on. Republihadists are racists. They hate President Obama primarily because he is black. Oh lest not forget that his mother, single mother raised him whilst getting a BA, MA, and PHD. Mr Obama came from nothing to the highest office in the free world. That is why he is so hated. And of course the horrible assertion that single mothers contribute to gun violence. Where do the rebubs

As a fellow Virginian, I say GO GO GO. We must rid ourself of these anti-woman laws enacted by fundamentalist morons who profess to be speaking for God. Frankly, I think they have been smoking something funny or perhaps are just off their meds. These men have no knowledge of real science and are in fact practiicing medicine without a license. All they have is a political agenda and do not care who suffers as long as they get what they want. VOTE THEM OUT!

There are always those who take it to far on either side: there was a democratic state two years ago who tried to allow abortions up until age 2. it made it to their house before it was stopped. Disgusting! Still, republicans who support Romney see abortion accurately: as infanticide, because does a miracle occur when the baby is born? To make it turn into a baby? Is it only a lump of flesh before? Does a woman have a right to murder and a man not? Denying women abortion would not make life easy by any stretch of the imagination, but our current administration takes it too far by promoting abortion and helping people turn a blind eye to what it really IS. When choosing a situation of government, I’d rather have the man in office who doesn’t promote abortion throughout the world so he can get his nice funding package from the monolithic Planned Parenthood. It IS baby killing, even if it is allowed. Promoting it is WRONG. The most disgusting woman to me is one who marches for and donates to Planned Parenthood. you’d think, at $500 a pop, they were getting plenty of money to do their own advertising (which they do). Those women would better spend their time and money at a real charity, feeding or clothing the poor, rather than supporting a billion-dollar “non-profit” business help the world forget that abortion is infanticide even in the best light.

I never regarded the Bible as a hole. In fact those men are making a mockery of religion if they profess to be Christians. They do not know the mind of God and they cannot tell anyone what God wants for them. That is between God and each person. Leave religion and politics separate. Hold values but never never never try to force your particular views on others. We all have free will and must be allowed to use it without politicians sticking their noses in.

Right, Mageen! I don’t know how a man who loves his wife could:
a) require his wife to carry a rapist’s baby to term (and if that’s how he votes, that’s what he’s committing to!)
b) raise that baby as his own (some can, but most can’t)
c) be OK with the rapist having any jurisdiction over his wife and the child (impacting the whole family)

I don’t even see how a man could vote to implement legislation where his raped wife or daughter would have to be further violated in order to have an abortion if she felt she needed one. Forcing a woman to have a trans-vaginal ultrasound? Forcing her to look at it? Forcing her to open up her shame to prove her case? Really, you’d do that to the woman you love?

Leave it alone! Leave it between the woman, her God, and whoever else she chooses to help her through it.

Faugh! I’m so tired of thinking about this I am becoming homicidal! Some GUY is gonna shoot off his mouth and I’ll kill him!
I’m going to repost a comment I made at juanitajeans yesterday with the same invitation to all you other porch sitters (below porch slime need not apply, you know who you are and I delete your crap w/o reading it, so please don’t bother wasting your time)

This may not be quite a politic thing to say, and you may all call me out if you like and we’ll discuss it, but after the last 90 days, I have come to the conclusion that republicans don’t believe in rape, except when race is involved. I seriously assert that most of them, men and women, believe that a white man cannot be guilty of raping a white woman. Doesn’t happen. So the real crime in all OTHER cases is being black or Hispanic or foreign or NOT WHITE. [I dont know if they have considered whether women of color can even be victims? They may not consider them women, i don’t know. Much ugliness directed at poor Mrs Obama for no reason i can come up with!!] The whole rape thing is not so important to them, because rape is a crime of POWER and subjugation, and a great many Rethugs like those things. Feel free to castigate me on any and all points offered here, I can be taught – if your argument is good enough!

Men, when you see this you should go absolutely incendiary. Look how you are equated! Now you know how and why an impregnated rape victim feels. Get these damn states to repeal these laws and enact no-parental-rights for rapists laws. Virginia, you are one of these states and you do not make me or the state proud! Grow up and stop siding with rapists!

Thank you H & M for the brilliant commentary. To me there is nothing more important in this election than these issues. Even the economy and jobs pale in comparison to the importance of the War on Women being waged by the GOTP. If we lose this election women will be forced to live in the 1800s. It wouldn’t surprise me if next they would try to take away the vote from women!

What hole did these people crawl out of? Do they actually live in the real world? And how can anyone, man or woman, choose any one of them to represent them and their interests? Steve King “never heard of a child getting pregnant from a rape”? Was he out of the country when Jaycee Dugard was found? (Wikipedia: The kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard occurred on June 10, 1991. Dugard was 11 years old. Thirty-four months into her captivity, she gave birth to her first daughter on August 18, 1994. Her second daughter was born on November 13, 1997. She was found in 2008. )

The real facts (from Wikipedia):

The current scientific consensus is that rape is as likely to lead to pregnancy as consensual intercourse

Any female capable of ovulation may become pregnant after a rape by a male who has reached puberty. Many of the youngest documented birth mothers in history experienced precocious puberty and were impregnated as a result of rape, including incest. In the youngest documented case, Peruvian Lina Medina was impregnated at age four and had a live birth in 1939 at age five.

In a three-year longitudinal study of 4,000 American women, physician Melisa Holmes found that pregnancy may result from forced sexual intercourse, producing over 32,000 pregnancies from rape nationally each year.

Sorry for sounding off…I just cannot believe that we are in danger of living in a country that will be run by these idiots!

Having had an abortion, due to the Dalkan Shield (a faulty IUD device), back in the 1970’s, at 10:30 pm, after running a temp of 105 degrees most of the day, was tough. I was married, with two sons under five and when I found out I was pregnant in spite of the birth control my doctor had recommended, I was happy to welcome a new child into our lives. I sure wasn’t given much “choice”. This was after discussions with my doctor and my husband. No government control or board was needed to decide for me, due to laws and decisions I had welcomed.
Republicans, please back away from this.
The only ones entitled to decide this is the women involved with this tough decision.
The religious arguments don’t sway me as obviously they don’t trust their own gods to cope with this on judgement day.

Now, we’ve got an important election coming up, so I just want to address my fellow conservatives who are running for office this year. OK, come here, come here. Fellas, you may not be aware of this, but in 1920, women got the right to vote. And since then, among likely voters, rape’s approval rating has plummeted. 😉

Seb,
You must understand that in Mormonism, women are “facilities” and “second class citizens” They can’t get out of the grave unless a Mormon god, whom they have been sealed to, raises their veil. I had a Mormon friend, who hated his “legal wife” so much he told her he wouldn’t raise her veil and she could “rot for eternity.”
Mormonism, and Mitt are all all about “men’s rights.”
Women, being “facilities” are only good for one thing, in the Mormon mindset. An abortion takes away the “spirit to work out its salvation.” A woman who can’t reproduce is useless in their mind.

If you get a chance, listen to Colin Powell’s endorsement of President Obama today. He gives a nice succinct explanation of why he is endorsing Obama, and what his issues are with Romney. Very well said.

Well said! I only hope that the complacent young women I see who never had to struggle for reproductive rights WAKE UP! thats right little girls. You who are so caught up in what to wear and what to listen to had better wake up. This is your future. Yours and your daughters.

@ccwatchfog : There is the same view in buddhism : a child “chooses” the family where he/she will come back. But the mother is also considered as à person able to make decisions for her Own Life. So the view of choosing the family where you are back in this Life is not incompatible with the respect of women… So they definitely have no excuses

Excellent post, Helen. I keep trying to understand why women hating people like you mentioned, think like they do. I don’t care anymore WHY they think their vileness. I just want them out of the legislative arena.
Here’s a voting guide for pro-choice federal candidates: http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/2012/voter-guide
Or you can text GUIDE to 49609..

Right you are, Helen…….We need to set up a national independent TV feed from you to this country. The Media mogals’ huge financial support of Romney and his Tea Party Republicans has suppressed the truth on every TV station in this country.

By what seems to be purposful omission of discussing consequences for the act of and the perpetrator of a rape,Tea party Romney and the Tea Party Republicans appear to support not only the act, but the person who commits such an act. How can their wives stand them? How can any woman or a man who loves her support this horrible Romney and his disgusting Republican cronies?

The Mormon religion considers women to be second class citizens and of no consequence. Read UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN. No wonder Tea Party Romney is so enamored with China and all the countries in the world with theocratic dictators………too bad that he doesn’t really know where they are located…….. 5th grade World Geography, Romney you moron.

How dare any man in this country think that he has the right to decide what a woman can or can not do with her body. How dare any man in this country put the rapist and the act before a woman’s right to choose. That is exactly what Tea party Romney and the Tea Party Republicans have done.

It is very concerning that there are still households in this country where a wife is so afraid of her husband that she will not vote her conscience and her heart for fear of retaliation by her husband. Voting is private and personal and not to be dictated by a spouse. Tea Party Romney and his Tea Party Republican cronies’ ultimate goal is to take away voting rights from people whem they consider to be second class citizens.

Tea Party Romney’s corporations have purchased voting machines and will be putting them in “swing states” in order to manipulate the vote. In Florida a Republican who was out registering people to vote, threw away Democratic voter registration forms. He was fortunately caught and will be convicted and the forms were recovered and turned in. In Florida, phones calls are being made to people telling them they can vote by phone. You can not. This is who Tea Party Romney is. This is what the Tea Party Republicans are about.

When has a Republican President EVER helped the economy, created jobs, balanced the budget, endorsed civil liberties, supported any child other than the fetus, supported a woman’s right to choose and believed that women are equal to men? NEVER. Look it up. And it will not happen with Tea Party Romney. His radical Tea Party is interested in only two things, taking away women’s rights and making more money for the billionaires.

Get out and vote. Do it by mail in, vote early or vote on election day. And shame on anyone who would even consider radical, hate-mongering Tea Party Romney.

Helen, If you understand Romney’s churches theology, the idiot who said that pregnancy resulting from rape was in “god’s plan, you would have to agree. Mormon theology teaches that the “spirit children” of the “Mormon Heavenly Father,” choose the family they will be “born into” here on earth. In other words, ‘ the child born had, in the “pre-existence” chosen to be born to that woman and knew the circumstances of the conception. After choosing, the “spirit” went through a “veil of forgetfullness” and has no memory of having been born before on another planet.
Before anyone jumps down my throat, this is the way the Mormon church teaches it. If you are a Mormon and have never heard this, you haven’t been through the Temple ceremony and received the instructions on becoming a “god.” If you aren’t a Mormon and plan to vote for “Mitt the Nitwit,” this is what the person your vote goes to believes and teaches.
Don’t waste your breath trying to debunk my post, think about the idiocy of the whole scheme and understand that an idiot made the statement and Romeney’s church teaches a doctrine that supports it.

All I can say is “Sing it Loud’! Thank you so very much for speaking up. I agree with the lady who said these young girls don’t know what it used to be like and can’t imagine anything different. Keep up the good work!

On the surface, restricted abortions with exemptions for rape, incest and life of the mother doesn’t sound quite so bad (well, it does, but less bad I guess), until you realize that it creates a situation where someone has to decide what ‘rape’ is or how in danger a woman’s life is. Does a woman actually have to be bleeding to death to be granted access to health care? Talk about death panels… We cannot have legislators making our medical decisions for us. Which means we cannot continue to elect these extremists.

No one has even mentioned men in this equation…the rapist that now can argue they were merely following God’s will nor do they mention what happens if a woman is forced to have the baby – if she does that’s her business (NOW) but if they get their way then their needs, circumstances do not count. So will they be passing laws saying the rapist has full parental rights? Currently there is a case where a woman has to take her child to a prison because her rapist (and the child’s father) has demanded full parental rights – oh for sure her mental state doesn’t count does it? And if the victim is married…is her husband allowed to divorce her? Who supports the child and the mother? Not the GOP since they want to cut programs that help the poor as well as cutting education. Will those husbands be held responsible for this child? Will they all swear to love and nurture that child no matter what? I want the MSM to speak out but they are no longer journalist merely paid entertainment.

there’s also the bill in PA right now, that if woman applies for food stamps for a child, she has to prove she was raped before they will approve additional food stamps. mind boggling. just mind boggling. a child born out of love and a consensual relationship would get to starve but a child born of rape would be allowed to have food. (and of course, the pregnant woman is not allowed to have birth control or an abortion, because that is wrong too. )

If the Republican Party is so against abortion, then spend some money and do something to help prevent it. Allow age appropriate sex education in schools, help fund PLANNED PARENTHOOD so girls can get birth control, do something…ANYTHING…but abstinence education. I could never in a million years have an abortion, even if I was raped. But I surely couldn’t tell the woman standing next to me what she should do. It is up to her and her doctor and her conscience.

I used to vote Republican. That was when the party didn’t give a rats ass about messing with personal freedoms, just wanted less spending/less government. But I vowed to never vote for another one until they stay out of my bedroom and off my body.

My relatives are all one-issue voters–abortion. They don’t care that the men you speak of want to control their lives–THEY would never have an abortion or even use birth control, anyway. And they desperately want to control the lives of other women who might consider abortion, even after rape. Their church teaches them this is right and necessary. Whatever it takes.

This may be your best yet! I think it’s brilliant. I wish that a major newspaper would publish this post. To read all the offensive comments made by GOP candidates is mind boggling. How can these people be seriously running for office in 2012?

Alan is absolutely correct. Killing is fine; the ability to kill everyone in the world something like 7.4 times per is fine; feeding the hungry is not so fine, nor is making sure kids get medical care…oh, I’m so fed up. I apologized to my grandkids. What I wanted for them was lollipops and roses, not this sh-t.

I am truly terrified for my granddaughters…if the Republicans have their way everything we women have fought for will be decimated. Were all those burnt bras for nothing??!! I hate to sound like an old bag but—the young women I work with haven’t a clue what life was like before Roe vs Wade and they look at me like I am nuts when I go off on a tirade about what they will lose if they vote Republican. Those of us of a “certain age” remember back alley abortions and the loss of lives due to botched ones. God help us. Thank you Helen and Margaret for standing up for all of us. I love you–I mean it !.

I am full of words all of which have been said. There are no more words for what it is. Rape is rape, period. The total arrogance, the absolute lack of respect/consideration/human feelings for women is so enraging, so totally inexplicable…ok…I’m through now. For the moment. What is it with the women who support these guys???
Huh! and they want to show other nations how to treat their women? Right.

Women everywhere need to speak out against these morons who insist on having THEIR way with what we do with our bodies. Why is it that it’s always men (ok, Bay can be included, too) who are the loudest voices on this subject and want to crowd out the ones who are directly affected by their choices? Seems like most of them claim a direct line to God’s ear and mind. Thank you for speaking out on this subject and reminding us one more time that we women need to speak up loud and clear that we are fully capable of making our own choices. Not all of us will opt for abortion, as is our right. But the bottom line is the choice should be ours, not some Bloviating Right Wing Male who thinks he has ALL the answers for the rest of us.

I know women who have been raped. Funny none of them thought it was ok. The pain the loss of control, oh 2 got a STD from it. OK women if you have been raped TIME TO SHOT OUT AND LET THE F***UP REPUBLICAN PARTY AND ANY WOMEN THAT WILL NOT THINK FOR THEMSELVES KNOW JUST HOW TERRIBLE IT WAS AND HOW IT AFFECTED YOUR LIFE. I can not believe any woman who went through that would not some how be very very angry for a very long time.

i so love reading your blogs. this one evokes so many thougths and feelings.
i believe every woman should be responsible for her own vagina. it is totally creepy that so many men i do not know believe they have a right to decide what goes in or out of mine and other women,s as well. !
i worked for a number of years in an abortion clinic. the number of women who were opposed to abortion – until they got pregnant and suddenly realized that abortion was their best option is staggering. perhaps women who oppose abortion should make their name known at all abortion clinics so that if they get pregnant they will be put in the “u cant come in here and get treatment category.” and for the men “stuck on stupid” seems like a way to describe them altho i would prefer using stronger language. and these men? how many are “deadbeat” dads? or have/are physically/emotionally/sexually abusive to their children?
keep writing!

You’re right as usual….”Deliver me from this madness.” It’s as if the World has been turned upside down. I, too, can’t talk with Republicans. As I walk away, I say, “I bet you’re glad there’s no law against stupidity.” And it takes them a good 5 minutes to understand that.

What I don’t -and will never- understand is how Republicans want to fight everything that could be considered “the federal government interfering with the lives of private citizens”, but then turn around and want to do EXACTLY that when it comes to abortion.
The right of self-determination just for men, of course; let the government determine how a woman has to live. Great …
And people with that mind-set are allowed to even run for public office?

The most amazing part about the Republicans, is that their ‘right to life’ belief ends at the vagina door. After you are born they don’t give a damn about you. Guns? Great! War? Great! No health insurance? Great! Death penalty? Great!

Sing it, sister. Sing it loud and proud. I too am absolutely amazed and terrified (in equal measures) about the horrible turn the Republican party has taken. It’s gotten so bad to me that I don’t even want to talk to someone who says they’re voting Republican. Not only am I angry at how dismissive they are to anyone who isn’t a wealthy white guy but I think they’re stupid to boot. Thank you SO MUCH for being willing to tell it like it is. I say this in every comment to you but you make my day brighter.